Occupational health and environmental activists are calling for more stringent waste export restrictions on used lead acid batteries (ULABs), citing a new study that suggests the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) tightening of lead air quality standards in 2008 resulted in a surge of U.S. shipments of batteries to Mexico for recycling due to weaker environmental and worker health requirements there. The activists argue that despite EPA's 2010 Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA) rule requiring export notification and the consent of the importing country before ULABs can be exp
December 29, 2025