Kanpur: Researchers of both the The Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, are conducting a study to find out the appropriate policy instruments that can help the country to reduce lead pollution.
The problem of lead recycling harms not only the mental and physical health of people but also contaminates the environment.
The lead-acid batteries in a fashion causes spillage of acid and lead dust in the soil and surroundings. The melting in open furnaces release poisonous gases into the air.
The researchers have also assessed the impact of policies such as reducing the tax on regulated recyclers, subsidies to organized recyclers and formal battery remanufacturers on the performance of battery recycling to name a few.
The researchers used a system dynamics model to explore the implications of economic policies quantitatively on the recycling of used lead-acid batteries.
The study suggested reducing the tax on the regulated recycling sector and providing subsidies to regulated recycling and remanufacturing sectors.
The research team included Dr RK Amit, Professor, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, Dr B Vipin, Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial & Management Engineering, IIT Kanpur, Dr J Ramkumar, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, and B Vinayak Joshi from IIT Kanpur.
Exaggerating the value of research on lead pollution, Prof Amit said, 'The shortage of primary lead sources to satisfy the demand makes the recycling of used batteries necessary.'
However, the unscientific way of recycling by the unregulated sector poses serious environmental and health threats due to the high amount of lead excretion.
We studied to quantitatively assess the impact of different policy instruments on shifting the recycling business from unorganised to the organized sector in India, he added.
Lead is chiefly used in the battery sector and it remains the major consumer of this metal by utilising 85 per cent of the production.
A report by UNICEF titled 'The Toxic Truth: Children's exposure to lead pollution' states approximately a third of the world's children, including 27.5 crores of Indian children, have higher exposure to lead as their blood lead levels have 5 micro grams per deciliter or more levels which are hazardous to their health.
