The Environmental Protection Agency tightened airborne emissions standards for lead in 2009. Eric Verhoogen (Columbia University) explains the unintended and devastating consequences of this new US policy for the health outcomes of newborn babies in Mexico. As the US recycled fewer lead batteries for cars, US exports of used batteries to Mexico increased and were used in Mexican battery recycling. However, with more battery recycling, Mexican plants created more lead emissions, resulting in a higher rate of low-birthweight babies among poor mothers who lived near those plants (Total: 31:54).

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• Tanaka, Shinsuke, Kensuke Teshima, and Eric Verhoogen. 2022. “North-South Displacement Effects of Environmental Regulation: The Case of Battery Recycling.” American Economic Review: Insights v4, n3: 271-288.