The ‘Clean’ Technology That’s Poisoning People

The Daily – The New York Times
Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Rachel Abrams
Guest: Peter Goodman

Overview:

This episode investigates the dark side of recycled lead batteries, considered a win for clean technology and the circular economy. The New York Times reporter Peter Goodman discusses a joint investigation exposing dangerous lead recycling practices in Nigeria, their severe health impacts, and how American companies, knowingly or unknowingly, benefit from this supply chain.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Investigate Lead Battery Recycling?

• Origin of the Story ([01:29]–[04:10])

  • Rachel Abrams introduces Peter Goodman as an expert in global supply chains.
  • The topic arose after The Examination (an investigative newsroom specializing in public health) contacted Goodman. Will Fitzgibbon, their lead expert who had reported on lead pollution in Africa, suggested testing people and soil for lead contamination.
  • Goodman’s task: Trace the supply chain from Nigerian recycling plants to U.S. battery manufacturers.

  Quote:

  “I knew zero about recycled batteries and that's rounding up.”
  — Peter Goodman ([01:54])

2. The Horrific Reality in Nigeria

• Field Investigation in Ogijo, Nigeria ([04:34]–[06:30])

  • Nigeria has become a major exporter of recycled lead due to limited domestic U.S. supply and stricter regulations.
  • Goodman and Fitzgibbon observed shocking scenes: families coughing, children with symptoms consistent with lead poisoning, schools right beside polluting factories.

  Quote:

  “I was just blown away and really horrified by what I was seeing up close. And it gave me a real sense of this story's really important.”
  — Peter Goodman ([06:19])

3. The Battery Recycling Process: U.S. vs. Nigeria

• A Tale of Two Systems ([06:50]–[10:52])

  • Proper U.S. recycling is sophisticated and expensive, involving automation and strict emission controls.
  • In Nigeria: Batteries are smashed open by hand, often shirtless and unprotected men, acid is dumped in waterways, furnaces operate with no emission controls, and whole communities are blanketed in toxic lead dust.

  Quotes:

  “You don't need a PhD in environmental science...to understand that it’s not a good idea to have...no gloves, to not have a shirt on, to be taking a machete, slamming it into an old battery with acid spewing out.”
  — Peter Goodman ([08:51])

  “I talked to a man who said, ‘Yeah, my walls are black.'...the impacts of this are just so obvious and so palpable that it was impossible to not be moved by this.”
  — Peter Goodman ([10:39])

4. Following the Lead: Unmasking the Supply Chain

• Tracing the Export Path ([11:00]–[15:55])

  • Trade data showed the lead shipped to the Port of Baltimore by commodity trader Trafigura, but the final end-user was unclear.
  • Goodman used trade shows, LinkedIn outreach, and in-person investigations at the port to discover that East Penn, the U.S.'s second-largest battery maker, was purchasing Nigerian lead.

  Quotes:

  “Most people ignored me. Some sent me to the communications people who then ignored me.”
  — Peter Goodman ([12:23])

  "It's not a household name...but it's there and we're participants. They're making batteries under the hoods of millions of cars that are out there on the road."
  — Peter Goodman ([14:39])

5. Seeking Accountability: Confronting East Penn

• Challenges in Getting Answers ([17:20]–[20:55])

  • East Penn ignored attempts at contact until Goodman orchestrated a face-to-face opportunity at an industry event.
  • East Penn’s CEO, Chris Pruitt, claimed Goodman's reporting spurred him to reconsider due diligence. East Penn subsequently stopped buying Nigerian lead.

  Quotes:

  “He said that our reporting had caused him to do a lot more thinking than he'd previously done about the origins of the lead.”
  — Peter Goodman ([19:36])

  “Was I too trusting? I'll take that shot.”
  — Chris Pruitt (East Penn CEO), relayed by Goodman ([20:52])

6. Due Diligence – or Just an Illusion?

• The Flaws in Oversight ([21:24]–[23:48])

  • Trafigura touts audits, but actual oversight is thin and ineffectual. Auditors don’t visit battery breaking yards, recommendations are not enforced, and the process seems performative.

  Quote:

  “This is not a process that can end up in derailing a deal...it is informed by a desire to reach a conclusion at which the deal carries on. And that's the problem.”
  — Peter Goodman ([22:56])

7. Devastating Health Effects Documented

• Testing the Community: ([24:06]–[25:36])

  • Independent blood and soil tests found 70% of residents near the smelters had dangerous blood-lead levels—children at particular risk for irreversible brain damage.
  • Soil near a Nigerian school was found to have 1,900 parts per million of lead—vastly higher than the “disaster” threshold of 95 ppm that triggered a federal emergency in California.

  Quotes:

  “Roughly seven out of 10...had levels of lead in their blood deemed dangerous by various medical authorities.”
  — Peter Goodman ([24:54])

  “We tested a school in Ogijo, where we found 1,900 parts per million.”
  — Peter Goodman ([25:33])

  “You're talking about irreversible brain damage, especially for children. You're talking about respiratory problems, relentless headaches, exhaustion, just a lack of function.”
  — Peter Goodman ([25:41])

8. Official Response – Real Reform or Cosmetic Change?

• Action from the Nigerian Government? ([26:09]–[28:00])

  • After test results were shared, five smelters were closed—only to quickly reopen with vague promises of improvement.
  • Tangible changes: more frequent distribution of safety goggles and gloves. Real change (emission controls, technological upgrades) would require millions, and no enforceable documents exist to compel such changes.

  Quote:

  “It's going to cost millions of dollars. This is not something that's going to be fixed with a bunch of gloves and goggles.”
  — Peter Goodman ([28:00])

9. The Global Marketplace: Why Change May Be Elusive

• Structural Incentives for Exploitation ([28:16]–[31:49])

  • The underlying incentive structures that favor cheap, poorly regulated supply remain unchanged.
  • As attention increases in one location, business usually shifts to another country with weaker enforcement.
  • Even if all players did the right thing, the added cost per battery would be only a few dollars at most; but the current global system values these savings over community health.

  Quote:

  “The verdict of the global marketplace on the question of what's it worth to poison entire villages in Nigeria is not that much.”
  — Peter Goodman ([31:44])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Goodman's admission of naiveté:
  “I knew zero about recycled batteries and that's rounding up.” ([01:54])
• The haunting description of pollution:
  “I talked to a man who said, ‘Yeah, my walls are black.’” ([10:39])
• On investigative journalism’s frustration:
  “Most people ignored me. Some sent me to the communications people who then ignored me.” ([12:23])
• Supply chain denial:
  “There’s so much sort of plausible deniability built in that any given participant can say, plausibly, oh, I thought somebody else was looking out.” ([20:57])
• Global accountability:
  “...the incentives that created this situation that we've been reporting on have not changed.” ([28:40])
• Price of community poisoning:
  “The verdict of the global marketplace on the question of what's it worth to poison entire villages in Nigeria is not that much.” ([31:44])

Important Timestamps

• 01:28: How Peter Goodman started the investigation
• 05:11: Describing Ogijo and the smelter “True Metals”
• 08:45–10:52: Comparing U.S. and Nigerian battery recycling practices
• 13:36: Identifying East Penn as a key U.S. buyer
• 17:20–19:33: Confronting East Penn and CEO Chris Pruitt’s response
• 24:06–25:36: Blood/soil testing results—health impact in Nigeria
• 26:09: Nigerian government’s response post-investigation
• 28:40–31:49: Systemic obstacles to genuine reform

Conclusion

This episode peels back the veneer of sustainability in the global car battery industry, revealing a supply chain tainted by severe environmental and public health harms in Nigeria. Despite public commitments to safety and social standards, U.S. companies have benefited from these practices, with real reform still looking elusive. The investigation suggests that the added cost of humane, safe recycling would be negligible, yet the market continues to reward the cheapest, most hazardous options.