It never ceases to amaze of that an 'authority' can put an end to an industry because it's dirty , but not mention that any lead which will need to be imported into the country in the future could well come from the dirtiest most polluted area of another distant country. Is that okay then ?
I realise the demand for lead has decreased dramatically since it was banned from paints, toys and petrol (replaced by benzene I believe, must be safe these days then ?) But as more countries look to nuclear power to generate electricity, surely the metal could become a viable product again.
The answer may be cleaner smelting and more recycling. Once the industry is gone, it's hard to resurrect. I live in a not so long dead lead mining area. No one died from lead in the water or soil.
I wonder if better or new fume scrubbers would be cheaper than demolishing the plant and cleaning up the land it's built on , or could it simply be down to pressure from people who don't want the industry too close to where they live ?
