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The LEAD Group's objection to proposed Ingleburn Lead Acid Battery "Recycling" Facility
[URL: See The LEAD Group’s submission at http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/?action=view_submission&job_id=7195&submission_id=163029 - Submitted 16th September 2016. See all submissions at http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/?action=list_submissions&job_id=7195 ]
LEAD Group Objections to Ingleburn Battery "Recycling" Facility:
- as proposed, the Ledox Australia lead battery plant at Ingleburn NSW is a used lead acid battery (ULAB) breaking plant, and not a ULAB recycling plant;
- Australia is a signatory to the Basel Convention which requires that hazardous waste such as the waste to be produced by the proposed Ingleburn plant is recycled within Australia, not exported as proposed;
- ULAB-breaking/battery-breaking is the most dangerous part of the ULAB collection and recycling process; |
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- the proposal aims to allow air lead concentrations likely to result in blood lead levels of workers higher than the current NSW Workcover limit, which is higher than the proposed Australian national limit and nearly 6 times higher than the current Californian occupational blood lead limit;
- 6-8 lead poisoned young workers in Western Sydney at any one time is way too many to add to what is already the state's worst Area Health Service for blood lead notifications;
- young workers are the most at-risk of long-term health impacts of lead exposure including to their reproductive capacity. Lead exposure causes reduced sperm count, sperm mutations, infertility, miscarriage and reduced IQ in offspring;
- as well as potentially allowing toxic air emissions via open doors, the proposed Ledox plant will contaminate large volumes of drinking water with heavy metals and increase waste going to landfill and waste-processing facilities, as well as creating many more truck movements (with resulting diesel emissions, noise pollution and increased accident-risk in an area with nearby residences, school, childcare, etc) than have been proposed by Ledox if the plant actually runs at the proposed throughputs;
- the proposed 30,000 L acid tank external to the existing building poses a potential risk of contamination to groundwater in the case of tank failure.
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