ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following President Obama’s visit to a battery factory owned by Johnson Control Incorporated (JCI), SLAB Watchdog released the following statement by Diane L. Cullo, Director:
“Last week’s visit to a battery manufacturing plant owned by Johnson Controls should outrage every single environmentalist in this country. Since the publication of the Occupational Knowledge International Report, “Exporting Hazards” in June, JCI has been exposed as one of the largest exporters of Spent Lead Acid Batteries (SLABS) to Mexico where, according to the report, toxic emissions are 20 times higher and workers are exposed to three times as much airborne lead. As a result, workers have blood lead levels that are five times higher than in the United States. According to the report, because less than half of all recyclers in Mexico report their facility emissions, we can only assume these scary levels are a best case scenario.
According to the report, JCI is authorized to export up to 280,000 metric tons or 616,000,000 pounds of SLABs to Mexico each year. Among that number is an unknown quantity of batteries generated by government owned vehicles. The idea that batteries bought with U.S. taxpayer money are being shipped to Mexico by JCI and other domestic entities at the expense of U.S. jobs, where their reclamation is subject to far few environmental and occupational safety controls is appalling and a practice that cannot continue. The idea that President Obama is rewarding JCI with a presidential visit at a time when workers are desperate for jobs should offend every American.”
SLAB Watchdog is committed to the safe and domestic recycling of spent lead-acid batteries (SLABs) and operates off of four basic principles: (1) Recycling of SLABs must occur in the United States by facilities that utilize the most advanced technologies that minimize environmental damage; (2) Transportation of SLABs must comply with federal regulations regarding the loading and bracing of SLABs to avoid damage and toxic spills; (3) Collection facilities should only use battery brokers who sign a memorandum of agreement committing to use domestic recyclers; (4) Federal, state and local governments must establish protocol to ensure that all SLABs generated by their vehicle fleets are recycled at domestic facilities.