Lead Pollution

A naturally occurring element, lead has been used for more than a century in industrial applications as an ingredient in fuel, paint, pipes and plumbing material, solders, ceramics, folk medicines, and even cosmetics. When manipulated and manufactured, the concentrations of lead in the air and soil can rise to levels unsafe for humans, animals, and the environment. However, because of the auspicious properties of lead—its malleability, nonconductivity, and resistance to corrosion—the substance was used with great frequency until the adverse health effects could no longer be ignored.

Despite widespread evidence of the harm of lead exposure, the manufacturers of some products continue to use lead, and some countries have yet to issue strong regulations against it. Current demand exceeds 10 million tons each year, primarily for leaded batteries and applications such as aviation fuel.

One of the largest contributors to lead pollution, and of particular interest in the context of this volume, was leaded gas manufactured for automobiles. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began limiting the amount of lead that could be used in gasoline in the mid-1970s, it [Page 871]was not fully phased out until January 1996, when the EPA banned the sale of leaded gas for on-road vehicle use. However, leaded gasoline remained legal for sale when used in off-road vehicles, including airplanes, farm equipment, race cars, and marine engines.

A number of U.S. statutes provide enforcement and regulatory authority to agencies, including the EPA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to regulate, track, and educate the public about the dangers of lead and lead exposure. Such laws include the Toxic Substances Control Act; the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992; the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water Act; the Safe Drinking Water Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; and the Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988.

Most of the world is on track to eliminate the use of leaded gas. In 1999, the World Bank promoted a global phase out of leaded gasoline. By 2011, the National Resources Defense Council announced that over 175 countries had removed lead from gasoline, with only countries such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Burma, and Yemen failing to ban leaded gas.