Battery Industry Increases Shipments, Reduces Lead Emissions

21 April 1999

Battery Industry Increases Shipments, Reduces Lead Emissions

    CHICAGO--(AutomotiveWire)--April 21, 1999--Attention, motorists and passengers: here's news about lead -- the major component of the batteries used in cars, trucks, motorcycles and golf carts.
    Between 1989 and 1995, the lead battery industry slashed lead emissions by 40 percent while increasing shipments of batteries 17 percent, with 21 fewer manufacturing plants operating across the country, According to Battery Council International (BCI). And for the 10th consecutive year, lead-acid batteries were recycled more than any other consumer product.
    The lead battery industry is the country's largest user of lead. The industry, which produces batteries for the 205 million cars, trucks and buses in the U.S., uses about 80 percent of the lead in the country; yet its plant emissions in 1995 accounted for less than one percent of EPA's total estimated national lead emissions. The battery industry increased shipments from 77.6 million units in 1989 to 92.6 million units in 1995 while reducing total lead emissions from 56.3 tons to 33.4 tons in the same years.
    Battery manufacturing plants are regulated by stringent local, state and federal laws. Lead emissions are controlled by advanced environmental control devices and monitored by systems that measure a range of pollutants.
    "Spring is a good time to assess our environmental stewardship," says Al Weber, president of Battery Council International. "The battery industry is proof that we can balance environmental responsibility and profitability."
    Lead-acid batteries are indispensable to contemporary life. In addition to starting cars, boats, trucks and motorcycles, lead-acid batteries power electric fork lift trucks and boats. They back up weapons systems; store and provide energy in remote locations; back up critical systems like computers, telephone systems, railroad crossing signals and air traffic control operations; and shift electrical loads among utility grids.
    Lead batteries are recycled more than any other consumer product. More than 96 percent of battery lead was recycled in 1996, compared to 64 percent of aluminum cans, 38 percent of glass containers and 68 percent of newspapers. Reclaimed lead and plastic are used in the production of new lead-acid batteries.
    "As the standard of living around the globe improves and the world's appetite for energy increases, lead-acid batteries continue to meet the demand for clean, recycled energy," says Mr. Weber.