‘High lead levels found in soil near battery recycling units in several parts of India’

New Delhi: A new study has found high levels of lead contamination in soil near battery recycling units across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, raising concerns about public health and environmental safety.

The analysis, ‘Soiled with Lead: from Battery Recycling,’ was carried out by Toxics Link, an environmental research and advocacy organisation, and published on Wednesday.

The authors examined 23 soil samples collected near lead-acid battery recycling units in selected cities, including locations close to residential areas, local communities, and primary schools.

“All samples showed evidence of widespread lead contamination ranging from 100 parts per million (ppm) to 43,800 ppm,” said the analysis.

With reference to the Environment Protection (Management of Contaminated Sites) Rules, 2025, the findings indicated that 52 per cent (12 out of 23 samples) of the collected soil samples contained lead concentrations exceeding the 5,000 ppm benchmark for a Hazardous Contaminated Site.

Also, 31 per cent of the samples surpassed the permissible limits for industrial areas as prescribed in the rule.

“Unexpectedly, higher average lead levels were detected in samples collected from authorised recycling units (formal units) compared to those collected from the unauthorised units,” said the study.

Lead-acid batteries have been around for more than 150 years and are used in automobiles, backup power systems such as inverters, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), telecommunications, and railway networks.

“The spent batteries are sent to recycling units or smelting facilities, both authorised (formal) as well as unauthorised (informal) set-ups, to recover lead, plastic components, etc. These recovered materials are often reintroduced into battery manufacturing cycles,” according to the study.

However, improper handling and poor practices, particularly in the unauthorised sector, can lead to the uncontrolled release of lead into the air, soil, and water.

This is an issue because lead is one of the most toxic heavy metals, and severely impacts human health and the environment.

According to a 2016 study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), lead exposure leads to 540,000 deaths annually across the globe, with the highest burden borne by low-and middle-income countries.