Aug 19 2013
The answer to this riddle lies with the massive volume of spent car, truck and other deep cycle batteries exported out of our country each year for substandard recycling. According to a recently released Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) report, 857 million pounds of Spent Lead Acid Batteries (SLABs) were exported to Mexico in 2011, a number almost too huge to comprehend.
To put that volume into perspective, SLAB Watchdog prepared a new infographic that clearly illustrates just how many SLABs are being exported by domestic battery producers to poorly regulated Mexican recyclers.
“The sheer volume of SLAB exports to Mexico is breathtaking,” said SLAB Watchdog’s Director, Diane L. Cullo. “Each year more than 20,000 tractor trailer loads of SLABs cross our southern border. Lined end to end, those trucks would create a 295 mile long traffic jam, and by weight, would be heavier than four Nimitz class aircraft carriers stacked on top of each other. That is a massive amount of hazardous waste being exported to a country without the regulatory controls to protect human health from the excessive amounts of lead, cadmium, and arsenic released in substandard recycling.”
SLAB Watchdog has been monitoring the growing practice of SLAB exports for more than three years. During that time, investigative reports and scholarly research have shown that Mexican battery recyclers operate under environmental and workplace safety regulations far weaker than those overseeing American recyclers. The regulations are so lax that the Commission for Environmental Cooperation estimates that every Mexican recycler would be denied a permit to operate in the United States (CEC report Executive Summary).
“Keep in mind this number accounts for 2011 EPA records only and represents a 14 percent increase over our previous estimates,” Cullo added. “SLAB exportation is becoming an industry trend, leading to more exports and greater risk to Mexican workers and their environment. While comprehending exactly how big 857 million pounds is not easy, this new infographic provides context to the massive amount of toxic waste some companies choose to export and our government allows to escape through our southern border.”
Source: http://www.slabwatchdog.com/