Millions of used lead batteries that are shipped to Mexico each year are contributing to lead poisoning among workers and children living near recycling plants, according to a recent investigation.
“Our investigation revealed that used car batteries from the U.S. are contributing to higher lead emissions in Mexico due to shoddy recycling practices,” Perry Gottesfeld, executive director of the nonprofit organization Occupational Knowledge International (OK International), said in a statement. “There are blatant deficiencies in regulations and environmental protections in the Mexican recycling industry compared to U.S. standards.”
Less stringent environmental and occupational safety regulations in Mexico make it more profitable for companies to ship the used batteries to Mexico to be recycled than to process them in the U.S., said Gottesfeld, who also was an author of the report.
The “Exporting Hazards: U.S. Shipments of Used Lead Batteries to Mexico Take Advantage of Lax Environmental and Worker Health Regulations” report found that about 12% of used lead batteries generated in the U.S. are exported to Mexico. Actual airborne lead emissions by battery recycling plants are approximately 20 times higher than those in the U.S., it said, and the amount of lead exported to Mexico in used batteries is double the amount exported in all other electronic waste.
Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Shawn Wright