Jenjarom is a town located in the Kuala Langat District of Selangor state in Malaysia with mainly Hokkien Chinese residents. Plumbum is the Latin word for lead still in common use in Malaysia, hence the symbol Pb for atomic number 82. You learn something new every time you visit this blog. With that behind us, why are the residents protesting about lead, and why now?
Senior Citizens Picket Plumbum Battery Factory in Jenjarom
Jenjarom is a town of around 6,000 residents in the Kuala Langat District of Selangor. The relatively flat terrain makes it an ideal hub for agricultural production. However, the town itself is most famous for its Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen Buddhist Institute and Temple reviving a quarter million visitors each year.
The Malaysia Mail reported on 19 April 2019 that 100 senior citizens were picketing a factory making lead-acid batteries in their neighborhood. From what we see from photos in The Star there is an open chemical sewer leading who knows where outside. “We are worried about our health,” they say. The owner should relocate it elsewhere.
Factory Shut Down But the Problem Continues
Lead Battery Factory Discharging Four Times Legal Limit
Continuing, the town’s secondary school is only one eighth mile away which implies a bad health legacy for the future. Health lobby chair Hee Loy Sian put his foot down right away. “They are not allowed to recycle batteries or melt plumbum here,” he told The Star.
“That’s because to conduct melting of plumbum, the factory needs an environmental impact assessment report. If they don’t have one, we can take action under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.” Officials have therefore sealed the factory, which had operated for 5 years, and cancelled the license. However, the Malay Mail reports high levels of lead contamination continuing.
The highest reading was 3,190 mg/kg from a worker’s hair sample. The minimum safety level to avoid lead poisoning is below 5 mg/kg. We actively subscribe to highest safety standards at our state-of-art facility and we condemn this blot on our industry.
Related
Tier II Reporting of Lead Acid Batteries
Looking at Lead Acid Batteries
Preview Image: Part of Dong Zen Temple Complex
Video Share Link: https://youtu.be/zgGkZlMau4I
