US based secondary lead smelter opposes relentless US lead battery exports to Mexico

NEW YORK (Scrap Monster) : The prominent secondary lead smelter in the US-RSR Corporation has written an open letter to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) highlighting the imminent risks posed by the increased exports of spent lead-acid batteries from US to Mexico.

A recent study report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) had revealed that almost 30% to 60% of spent lead-acid batteries (SLABs) recycled in Mexico come from the USA. As per statistics, US exported 342 187 tonnes of SLABs to Mexico during the year 2011.Nearly 68% of the US exports were targeted to Mexico. The US exports of SLABs during the period 2004 to 2011 surged by over 500%.

The lead emissions standards of US recycling plants are ten times stricter than Mexico, which remains the only reason for the increased trade between borders. The plants in US have most modern technologies installed which ensure that the toxic emissions out of them will be minimal. The recycling facilities in Mexico are equipped with far inferior pollution controls than in the U.S.

RSR Corporation in its letter has urged EPA to ‘direct all of its considerable influence and commitment' to protecting human health and the environment by stopping the export of used lead batteries to any nation that is incapable of recycling lead-bearing waste safely and without environmental contamination.