Scientific American has a brief article about industry’s request to have lead removed from the EPA’s list of regulated pollutants.
The EPA said that from 1980 to 2005 the national annual lead concentrations have dropped more than 90 percent. Lead levels in air have mostly fallen because it was banned as a gasoline additive starting in the 1970s.
This is good news, since exposure to lots of lead is no good thing.
But I am puzzled. How will removing lead from the list of regulated pollutants lead to less lead in the environment? (Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun!)
Who wants lead off the list?
In a letter last July to the EPA, industry group the Battery Council International urged the agency to “delete lead from the criteria pollutants.”
Who’s this “Battery Council International”?
Battery Council International is a not for profit organization with the mission to promote the interests of the international lead-acid battery industry.
Surely, the lead-acid battery industry will not pollute the environment with lead if we remove the regulations! Right?
They probably just want to turn it to gold. 🙂