Driving a zero-tailpipe EV while outsourcing toxic lead dust to someone else is not clean. If your EV still leans on a 12V lead-acid lifeline or your off-grid solar bank runs on lead, your brand may be exporting harm to communities where recycling rules are weak. Recent reporting shows recycled lead from U.S. car batteries is poisoning people in low-regulation markets, and that is a supply chain problem you can fix, fast.

Why this matters now

Lead-acid batteries are everywhere in clean energy. Most EVs still use a 12V battery to power low-voltage systems, and many off-grid and backup solar installations rely on lead-acid storage. While a few brands are shifting to lithium low-voltage systems, the industry remains heavily dependent on lead, which means your supply chain touches recycling operations you may not control. As reported in this investigation by The Examination, recycled lead for U.S. car batteries has been sourced from factories in places like Nigeria that lack adequate pollution controls, contaminating homes, schools, and playgrounds.

The health burden is severe. Lead exposure impairs brain development, increases cardiovascular risk, and raises mortality. Global deaths attributable to lead exposure number in the millions annually, with children disproportionately harmed, as summarized in recent reporting and highlighted by Africa Renewal. In low-regulation markets, recyclers often skip basic worker blood testing and emission controls, a pattern documented in The Examination’s report.

Regulators and NGOs are turning up the heat. The EPA outlines responsible battery collection and management practices that brands can require from partners, as noted in this case study. In the EU, the new Battery Regulation strengthens extended producer responsibility, obligating producers to ensure safe collection, recycling, and traceability across the battery life cycle, see Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. California’s toxic substances program has also flagged the risks and prospects for safer low-voltage alternatives, as discussed by DTSC. Peer-reviewed research continues to quantify the massive disease burden from lead exposure, underscoring the urgency of reform, as noted in this study.

The problem you can feel

Battery buyers and project teams often lack visibility into where recycled lead is sourced and how it is processed. Supply chains can look compliant on paper yet push toxic externalities onto communities far from the point of sale. Meanwhile, field teams still face weak return-to-recycling practices for spent 12V batteries and solar banks, creating leakage into informal channels that are cheaper but dangerous.

The solution in plain English

Audit, verify, and transition. You need end-to-end traceability for recycled feedstock today, and a clear glide path away from lead where practical in low-voltage systems and solar storage. That cuts human harm and reduces reputational risk as scrutiny of battery supply chains grows.

Evidence that should move you

• U.S.-linked battery lead has been recycled in crude facilities abroad, with dust contaminating neighborhoods and children’s blood lead levels spiking, per The Examination.
• Most EVs still ship with 12V lead-acid batteries, though some brands are beginning to adopt lithium low-voltage replacements, as reported in CleanTechnica.
• Lead exposure from mismanaged waste remains a persistent public health threat in developing markets, per Africa Renewal.
• Regulators are setting clearer producer duties for safe collection and recycling. The EU’s battery law formalizes EPR and traceability requirements, see EU 2023/1542.

What EV and solar brands must do now

For vehicle and storage manufacturers

• Map and audit the entire lead supply chain. Require documented and verifiable emission controls, enclosed material handling, wastewater treatment, and continuous stack monitoring at recycling plants. Cross-check with independent audits and worker blood-lead testing protocols, as highlighted by The Examination.
• Enforce traceability. Mandate chain-of-custody records for recycled lead and publish supplier lists. Transparency reduces leakage into informal operations, as urged in recent reporting.
• Embed extended producer responsibility. Align contracts to EU-style EPR requirements for take-back, safe recycling, and material recovery, referencing EU 2023/1542.
• Accelerate low-voltage transitions. Prioritize LiFePO4 or other lithium 12V replacements where platform-compatible. Where lead remains, use high-quality AGM or EFB with verified end-of-life pathways. See risk and alternatives discussed by DTSC.
• Fund remediation and health monitoring. Budget for community soil testing, cleanup, and worker health surveillance in high-risk areas linked to your supply chain.

For installers and project developers

• Buy only from suppliers with audited recycling partners. Request emissions data, occupational health protocols, and independent certifications annually.
• Specify safer chemistries where feasible. For off-grid and backup systems, consider lithium storage with robust battery management systems and clear end-of-life plans, as discussed by DTSC.
• Close the loop on returns. Use documented collection networks and verified recyclers. The EPA’s case study offers practical program design cues for collection and stewardship, see this example.

For consumers and fleets

• Prioritize models with lithium low-voltage systems when available and confirm proper take-back options for any lead-acid components.
• Return every spent battery through certified collection points. Avoid informal recyclers, which are often the source of contamination highlighted in this reporting.
• Ask brands for supply chain transparency and recycling partners. Pressure works.

Performance, safety, and reputation

EV charging and storage performance keep improving, and that makes now the right time to retire legacy lead risks. Moving to safer chemistries in low-voltage systems and solar banks reduces toxic exposure, improves reliability, and signals credible sustainability to customers and regulators. It is not just the right thing medically and morally. It is smart risk management and brand protection, backed by the direction of modern battery policy and the evidence gathered by journalists, NGOs, and researchers.

The bottom line

Clean energy cannot mean dirty recycling. Audit your lead supply chain, enforce EPR-grade accountability, and transition where you can. The cost of inaction is measured in poisoned communities and reputational damage. The fix is in your procurement and design choices.