How much of an environmental hazard are car batteries?

Question

I am researching in the area of electric vehicles, and the issue I keep coming up against is the problem that batteries are supposedly highly toxic to make and dispose of, and could cause tremendous environmental damage if something went wrong while making, or disposing of them.

It goes so far as to make some people state electric vehicles are practically as environmentally unfriendly as everything else out there, all things considered.

But what's the real story?

Does anybody know more about this?

I would very much like to be reassured that electric vehicles are worth developing, and that their batteries pose merely a manageable risk.

Is that the case?

Answer 1

http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.ph...

http://www.ehso.com/battery.php

Answer 2

They can be recyled and are no hazzard to the environment. Only if you let them run out on the gras they can be toxic at this place.

Franky

Answer 3

It is not a hazard. At present many batteries are recycled. The acids can be neutralized.

Acid HCL Bad and dangerous.

Caustic soda

When u mix these to a PH 7 then what do u have???

  U could drink it as it is simple table salt and water.

A material  that is considered hazardous is stupid because u could neutralize them.

Answer 4

People are using more and more household batteries. The average person owns about two button batteries, ten normal (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, etc.) batteries, and throws out about eight household batteries per year. About three billion batteries are sold annually in the U.S. averaging about 32 per family or ten per person. A battery is an electrochemical device with the ability to convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to electronic devices. Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process.

Batteries may produce the following potential problems or hazards:

Pollute the lakes and streams as the metals vaporize into the air when burned.  

Contribute to heavy metals that potentially may leach from solid waste landfills.  

Expose the environment and water to lead and acid.  

Contain strong corrosive acids.  

May cause burns or danger to eyes and skin.

In landfills, heavy metals have the potential to leach slowly into soil, groundwater or surface water. Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. In the past, batteries accounted for nearly half of the mercury used in the United States and over half of the mercury and cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.

Answer 5

the battery's are recyclable at the place of purchase and they  give you some of your money back as a core charge

Answer 6

batteries use toxic materials.

The electrolyte is poison even if it is nuetralized.

Sulphuric acid is used in wet cell batteries.

The metals are extremely harmful to health if they get into the environment. Lead is used in wet cell batteries.

When batteries are charged then you get lead sulphate in solution.

There are recycling programs but they are not on a 100% recovery basis.

The other problem with electric vehicles is that they require electricity. There is just barely enough capacity to meet power requirements today. If we go to electric cars there will be a significant requirement for more electrical generating plants. Coal petroleum and nuclear fired generators are not as clean as burning the fuel directly in your car. And nobody wants them in their backyard so it takes forever just to get approval to build.

How many windmills does it take to keep one car on the road?

Answer 7

Lead-acid batteries have been around for decades, and the technique to recycle them are well established.

Lithium batteries are not toxic, but the recycling system isn't really in place yet. Give 'er time.

Answer 8

Not from the standpoint of lead - acid batteries. All you are doing is trading one hazard for another !