The automakers Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler and Opel have admitted grave violations of environmental and human rights standards in their raw material supply chain.

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This is due to irregularities in the procurement of lead, which is needed for the production of vehicle batteries. Also affected are the world's largest car battery manufacturer Johnson Controls and the recycling factory Weser-Metall in Nordenham, Lower Saxony.

As SPIEGEL reports in its latest issue, Everest Metal Nigeria Limited has disregarded environmental and safety regulations and exported lead without a valid license. It also reached Germany via a British agent from Nigeria.

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Everest is located in the village of Ipetero in southern Nigeria, about two hours from the port city of Lagos. The company, which belongs to an Indian group, collects old car batteries, releases the lead contained therein and pours it into ingots. Production waste gases and wastewater are discharged unfiltered to the village. (Read the whole story at SPIEGEL + here)

In the environment of the recycling factory, scientists discovered extremely high levels of lead in the soil last year. They were at 320, 1900, 2700 and 130,000 milligrams of heavy metal per kilogram of soil. The limit for Germany in residential areas is 400 milligrams per kilo.

Current blood tests with volunteers in Ipetoro also suggest poisoning of the population. Out of 40 villagers tested, 39 had more than 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, which is a threshold for poisoning, according to the World Health Organization. Adults came to an average of 21.1 micrograms per deciliter, children had similar levels. Just five micrograms can cause cardiovascular problems and reduce the immune system.

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"Ten micrograms lead in the long run to at least half of the children to developmental delays," says the Munich pediatrician Tobias Eisenhut, who supervised the project on an honorary basis. One supplier came to 50.6 micrograms. Five Everest employees had the following numbers: 21.8 - 32 - 38.1 - 41.4 and 42.3. The highest blood lead levels were those working directly with the heavy metal or acid batteries.

Secret SPIEGEL shots inside the factory revealed numerous occupational safety breaches. The workers have insufficient protective clothing and also no respiratory masks in the dangerous production areas. The ground in the yard is not paved, so that leaking lead from old car batteries can seep. The rotary kiln, in which the battery shredders are melted, contained no trigger, so that poisonous gas can escape.

The German company Weser-Metall, which in turn supplies the battery manufacturer Johnson Controls, said with regard to its British supplier WITL: "From this we no longer buy material." The car battery manufacturer Johnson Controls assured that it had "immediately started an investigation with the supplier".

VW announced that in the future "all our suppliers would have to be evaluated before being awarded by means of a sustainability rating". Opel said it had requested "appropriate corrective action" from Johnson Controls. Daimler in turn indicates that they have agreed to "further transparency". The automotive supplier Bosch wrote that he reserves the right to "withdraw from existing contracts".

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