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Articles by Perry Gottesfeld
Airborne lead exposures during artisanal lead mining and gold ore processing in Zamfara, Nigeria
Abstract Artisanal mining in Nigeria is growing along with the increase in the price of metals. However, self-employed miners, particularly in the northwest of the country, have brought extensive environmental contamination and severe lead poisoning from the lead content in the ore. This study assessed airborne lead exposures to miners during lead mining and gold ore processing in three villages in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Personal air samples were collected and analyzed for lead content.
Super-sized electric vehicles (EVs) will not solve the climate crisis
The current trend towards larger and heavier EVs will have significant repercussions for energy consumption. One study estimates that each 1% increase in average vehicle weight will lead to an increase of 1% in EV electricity consumption [5]. The implications of increasing battery weights are underlined by the fact that lifetime electricity consumption during the operating life of the vehicle dominates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for EVs in life-cycle analyses [6].
Industry Promotes Lead as ‘Safe and Effective’ Despite Known Health Risks as Heavy Metal Production Grows
by Perry Gottesfeld, Childrens Health Defense: The effects of lead on human health are well-documented — we now know that even low-level lead exposures can diminish children’s learning and impact behavior. Given the negative publicity about the lead paint in our homes poisoning children and lead pipes contaminating our water, most people might assume that the lead industry is suffering a slow death.
Industry Promotes Lead as ‘Safe and Effective’ Despite Known Health Risks as Heavy Metal Production Grows
Miss a day, miss a lot. Subscribe to The Defender's Top News of the Day. It's free. By Perry Gottesfeld Given the negative publicity about the lead paint in our homes poisoning children and lead pipes contaminating our water, most people might assume that the lead industry is suffering a slow death. But even as our understanding of low-level lead exposure hazards has grown, global lead production actually increased by 75% between 2001 and 2017.
Poisoned production: The lead industry is booming – it’s just moved to poorer countries - Bhekisisa
Research shows that children who are exposed to lead have a harder time learning. And among adults, lead causes more death than any other chemical by increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Despite this, the production of lead is expanding, with lead smelting and recycling moving to poorer countries with less regulatory oversight. The lead industry is attempting to stay alive by funding research that paints it in a favourable light.
Poisoned production: The lead industry is booming – it’s just moved to poorer countries – Bhekisisa
Research shows that children who are exposed to lead have a harder time learning. And among adults, lead causes more death than any other chemical by increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Despite this, the production of lead is expanding, with lead smelting and recycling moving to poorer countries with less regulatory oversight. The lead industry is attempting to stay alive by funding research that paints it in a favourable light.
The Lead Industry’s Continuing Influence and Its Consequences
Given the negative publicity about the lead paint in our homes poisoning children and lead pipes contaminating our water, most people might assume that the lead industry is suffering a slow death. But even as our understanding of low-level lead exposure hazards has grown, global lead production actually increased by 75 percent between 2001 and 2017.
Lead Industry Influence in the 21st Century: An Old Playbook for a “Modern Metal”
In recent years, lead poisoning has received increasing attention as lead production continues to grow and the industry shifts the most polluting processes (e.g., smelting ore and recycling batteries) to low- and middle-income countries. The hazards associated with lead exposures have been well known for centuries while the industry actively promoted lead products.
E-waste will dip due to COVID, but for all the wrong reasons
This story was originally published by Gristand appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Every year, humanity generates tens of millions of tonnes of electronic waste, or e-waste — a veritable tsunami of toxic garbage that the United Nations has described as the world’s fastest-growing waste stream. Now, a new analysis has found that the world’s e-waste junkyards will be getting a slight reprieve due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ford announces plans to go all electric in Europe by 2030
FRANKFURT — Ford is vowing to convert its entire passenger vehicle lineup in Europe to electric power by 2030 in just the latest sign of the seismic technological changes sweeping the auto industry. Ford will spend $1 billion to revamp its factory in Cologne, Germany and make it a base for production of battery-powered cars using Volkswagen’s mechanical framework, said Stuart Rowley, president of Ford of Europe, during an online news conference Wednesday.
Trudeau announces billions to build, expand public transit
OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government is promising cash-strapped cities billions of dollars in permanent funding for their public-transit systems — though most of the money won’t start flowing until later in the decade. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the $14.9-billion announcement on Wednesday as he prepared for a virtual meeting with mayors from Canada’s largest cities, many of them struggling to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Environmental disaster’: Electric cars have a dirty little recycling problem - batteries
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/01/21/opinion/electric-cars-have-dirty-little-recycling-problem-their-batteries By Perry Gottesfeld In September, Tesla announced that it would be phasing out the use of cobalt in its batteries, in an effort to produce a US$25,000 electric vehicle within three years. If successful, this bold move will be an industry game changer, making electric vehicles competitive with conventional counterparts.
Electric Cars' Very Big Problem Continues to Loom
In September, Tesla announced that it would be phasing out the use of cobalt in its batteries, in an effort to produce a $25,000 electric vehicle within three years. If successful, this bold move will be an industry game changer, making electric vehicles competitive with conventional counterparts. But the announcement also underscores one of the fundamental challenges that will complicate the transition to electric vehicles.
General Motors plans to go largely electric by 2035
General Motors has set a goal of making the vast majority of the vehicles it produces electric by 2035, and the entire company carbon neutral, including operations, five years after that. The Detroit automaker's push into electric vehicles has gone into overdrive this year. GM has already announced that it will invest $27 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles in the next five years, a 35 per cent increase over plans made before the pandemic.
Problem: Financial Incentives to Recycle Spent EV Batteries Are Eroding
Photo: Michael Movchin/Felix Müller/CC BY-SA 3.0 In September, Tesla announced that it would be phasing out the use of cobalt in its batteries, in an effort to produce a $25,000 electric vehicle within three years. If successful, this bold move will be an industry game changer, making electric vehicles competitive with conventional counterparts. But the announcement also underscores one of the fundamental challenges that will complicate the transition to electric vehicles.
The time to solve the electric car’s battery problem is now
In September, Tesla announced that it would be phasing out the use of cobalt in its batteries, in an effort to produce a $25,000 electric vehicle within three years. If successful, this bold move will be an industry game changer, making electric vehicles competitive with conventional counterparts. But the announcement also underscores one of the fundamental challenges that will complicate the transition to electric vehicles.
Electric Cars’ Looming Recycling Problem
By Perry Gottesfeld, Undark Connecting state and local government leaders In September, Tesla announced that it would be phasing out the use of cobalt in its batteries, in an effort to produce a $25,000 electric vehicle within three years. If successful, this bold move will be an industry game changer, making electric vehicles competitive with conventional counterparts. But the announcement also underscores one of the fundamental challenges that will complicate the transition to electric vehicles.
Declining blood lead levels among small-scale miners participating in a safer mining pilot programme in Nigeria
Declining blood lead levels among small-scale miners participating in a safer mining pilot programme in Nigeria Perry Gottesfeld1, Gabriella Meltzer2, Sadie Costello3, Jane Greig4, Natalie Thurtle4, Karla Bil4, Benjamim Janeiro Mwangombe4, Manti Michael Nota1 1 Occupational Knowledge International, San Francisco, California, USA 2 College of Global Public Health/ Department of Epidemiology, New York University, New York City, New York, USA 3 Division of Environmental Health Sciences, UC...
Declining blood lead levels among small-scale miners participating in a safer mining pilot programme in Nigeria
Declining blood lead levels among small-scale miners participating in a safer mining pilot programme in Nigeria Perry Gottesfeld1, Gabriella Meltzer2, Sadie Costello3, Jane Greig4, Natalie Thurtle4, Karla Bil4, Benjamim Janeiro Mwangombe4, Manti Michael Nota1 1Occupational Knowledge International, San Francisco, California, USA 2College of Global Public Health/ Department of Epidemiology, New York University, New York City, New York, USA 3Division of Environmental Health Sciences, UC Berkeley...
Opinion: Eliminating lead paint would save millions of lives
Paint companies are expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for lead paint abatement in California after the U.S. Supreme Court last month refused to intervene in an 18-year legal battle. Although this litigation was mostly about what the companies did years ago, few realize that it is still legal to manufacture and use lead paint in the United States and in most countries around the world. This case should be a wakeup call to finally eliminate lead paint.
Opinion: Eliminating lead paint would save millions of lives
Paint companies are expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for lead paint abatement in California after the U.S. Supreme Court last month refused to intervene in an 18-year legal battle. Although this litigation was mostly about what the companies did years ago, few realize that it is still legal to manufacture and use lead paint in the United States and in most countries around the world. This case should be a wakeup call to finally eliminate lead paint.
International silica standards: Countries must update exposure limits
Although U.S. OSHA updated its occupational silica standard in 2016 for the first time in 45 years, relatively few countries have followed suit. Aside from a handful of European countries, some Canadian Provinces and Mexico, most other countries do not have as stringent of a standard as the current U.S. Permissible Exposure Limit of 0.05 mg/.
International silica standards: Countries must adopt or update occupational exposure limits
Although U.S. OSHA updated its occupational silica standard in 2016 for the first time in 45 years, relatively few countries have followed suit. Aside from a handful of European countries, some Canadian Provinces and Mexico, most other countries do not have as stringent of a standard as the current U.S. Permissible Exposure Limit of 0.05 mg/.
Preventing tuberculosis among high-risk workers
Tuberculosis control programmes focus on case identification and treatment. Therefore, opportunities to prevent disease onset are often overlooked. New strategies are needed to further reduce global incidence and mortality of tuberculosis to achieve the visionary goal of a tuberculosis-free world. Prevention of tuberculosis among miners and other workers exposed to silica offers one such opportunity.
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