SLAB watchdogs insist US to ban lead acid battery shipments to Mexico

Battery Recycling  |  2011-06-16 10:20:10   |   By

Following the report of increasing shipments of used lead acid batteries (ULABs) from the United States to Mexico for recycling, SLAB Watchdog is calling on the U.S. government to ban the dangerous practice immediately

ALEXANDRIA, VA (Scrap Monster): Following the report of increasing shipments of used lead acid batteries (ULABs) from the United States to Mexico for recycling, SLAB Watchdog is calling on the U.S. government to ban the dangerous practice immediately.

Known as ULABs internationally and spent lead acid batteries (SLABs) domestically, these dead car, boat, and other deep cycle batteries contain dangerous components that can cause serious harm unless properly recycled.

In recent years a huge increase in the amount of SLABs bypassing U.S. recyclers and going to Mexico has caught the eye of environmental groups as corporate interests seek to maximize profits by taking advantage of Mexico’s weaker environmental and worker safety regulations.

“The massive increase in SLAB exports to Mexico and the appalling lack of government oversight indicate a disaster waiting to happen,” said Diane L. Cullo, Director of SLAB Watchdog. “Sending used lead acid batteries to Mexico for recycling without any regard for the health of workers, the community or the environment simply because it is cheaper is unconscionable and must stop immediately. There is no reason, other than pure profit, for companies to expose unsuspecting Mexicans to these toxic emissions. It needs to stop today.”

With more than 20 pounds of lead, sulphuric acid, and plastic in each battery, the report notes that the Mexican recycling of SLABs using inferior technology and processes, weaker safety protections, and lax government standards has the potential to cause environmental damage, worker illness, and widespread community sickness.

In one alarming discovery, the report found an unlicensed and unregulated recycler operating next to an open air market. Lead poisoning is one of the most serious environmental health threats to children and is a significant contributor to occupational disease.

The report from OK International and a Mexican non-profit called, Fronteres Comunes, provides a damning look at the growing exportation of spent lead acid batteries to Mexico for recycling. The findings include:

In 2010, exports of used lead batteries from the United States to Mexico increased 112% from the previous year;

Approximately 12 percent of used lead batteries generated in the U.S. are exported to Mexico;

The regulatory level for airborne lead at lead battery recycling plants in Mexico is ten times higher than in the U.S., but the actual airborne lead emissions reported by lead battery recycling plants in Mexico are approximately 20 times higher than from comparable plants in the U.S.;

Average blood lead levels among workers as reported by a recycling plant in Mexico are five times higher than the average reported by a U.S. recycler.

Among other findings by OK International and Fronteres Comunes is the shocking truth that less than half of all approved Mexican recyclers have reported any lead emissions to Mexico’s oversight authority, the RETC.

“It is reasonable to assume that a majority of companies are not reporting their emission numbers because they are appalling and far worse than those who do,” continued Cullo. “This leads us to believe the results in the OK International report actually represent a best case scenario. Given these findings, we call upon the United States government to ban immediately the export of all spent lead acid batteries to Mexico and we ask our partners in the environmental community to join us in this effort.”

For the last year SLAB Watchdog has been working to raise awareness about the issue of spent lead acid battery exports and foreign recycling, but has been unable to quantify the amount of exports accurately.

In the summer of 2010, SLAB Watchdog was able to get a sense of the amount of exports by photographing tractor trailers entering a transshipment facility in Laredo, Texas. The pictures, which are available on SLAB Watchdog’s web site, www.slabwatchdog.com, and Flickr stream, show a continuous stream of trucks dropping off spent lead acid batteries. OK International’s report provides the first updated calculation of export numbers since new EPA rules went into effect in July 2010.

“Now that we know more batteries are being exported than previously thought and we know the recycling facilities are far worse than originally thought, there is no reason for the U.S. or Mexican government to sit by idly while the environment is harmed and workers and nearby residents are put at risk. This toxic waste is created in America and should be recycled in America. We have the facilities to do it and the regulatory oversight to make sure it happens safely,” concludes SLAB Watchdog’s Cullo.