Shipping out the lead

The start-up powerhouse of any automobile - a brand new, sleek BMW 7 series or a vintage Volkswagen 'Bug', a huge long-haul trailer truck or a high-powered sports motorcycle -is its battery. The size installed is dependent on the requirements of a particular vehicle, a high-wattage stereo system or other electronic equipment demanding that a more powerful battery than normally required be utilised.

However, while the automotive battery is essential to the vehicle, it can pose serious health risks to human beings, as it contains hazardous lead-acid and lead oxide which is submerged in an electrolyte solution containing sulfuric acid and water. The average life of an automotive battery is two to three years, and when they are no longer functional, proper disposal is key.

health hazard

The most common problem that arises from improper handling and disposal of old automotive batteries is lead poisoning, with backyard operations to repair batteries or extract the lead having created serious heath issues in Jamaica. Among the affected communities have been Fraser's Content (Red Pond) in St Catherine, medical intervention there stemming that problem a decade ago.

"The lead poisoning that has occurred in this instance was caused by backyard smelting of batteries to sell the lead. The persons that had lead contamination were primarily those who lived in the yards where the smelting took place," said Tropical Battery's sales and marketing manager, Ameen Shoucair.

This is different from the lead poisoning situation in Kintyre, St Andrew, in the 1990s, a holdover from lead ore mining in the area from 1758 to about 1856. Concentrated on the Kintyre Basic School, once the processing plant for the ore, that situation was addressed by an intervention programme led by the International Centre for Environmental Nuclear Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, with good results reported by The Gleaner in 2001. The story also said that "high blood lead level is believed to cause neurological damage, lower IQ, lower fertility rate and damage the kidneys. Research has linked high levels of blood lead to violent and criminal behaviour".

lessening danger

Batteries which are improperly disposed of, especially by being left on the earth, can eventually leak their contents into the soil, contaminating it. Tropical Battery, which has been operating in Jamaica for over 60 years, supplies batteries for passenger vehicles, commercial trucking, marine, locomotive and industrial applications. However, while the brand is highly visible, a lesser-known part of its operations is the export of used automotive batteries, removing much of the lead contamination danger.

"We pay members of the public a small fee if they have a quantity of batteries for disposal, five or more. A rebate is also factored into the price of a new battery at any Tropical Battery store for the return of used batteries," explained Shoucair.

On a recent visit to Tropical Battery's Ashenheim Road, St Andrew, location, Automotives saw a large number of old batteries in various stages of preparation for export. The final product is a stack of batteries on a wooden pallet, shrink-wrapped around the sides with layers of thick plastic. Shoucair said they are stored in a nonporous area and away from any water source to prevent contamination of the environment. Batteries are also exported wet, with the electrolyte solution still, present as improper disposal of this may be hazardous. In handling the batteries proper gear, such as long-sleeved overalls, water boots and rubber gloves, should be worn.

In accordance with the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, to which Jamaica is a signatory, automotive batteries can be exported to any country that has a lead smelter. Other countries that are signatory to this convention includes Israel, Ghana and South Korea. The batteries can be recycled and used to make any other lead-based product, including X-ray equipment and wheel weights used in tyre balancing - and, of course, new automotive batteries.

Shoucair was not willing to say where Tropical Battery exports the discarded batteries to, or how important an income-generating activity it is to the company.

However, he said, "any potential income stream is important as is the used battery programme. However, what is most important is recycling used batteries to keep the cost of new batteries down as the more recycled materials can be used, the cheaper the cost of production for newer batteries".

melville.cooke@gleanerjm.com