Mining Aluminum for the Ford F-150 Lightning Is Allegedly Making Thousands in the Amazon Rainforest Sick

[AzScorpion]

More troubles for EV's and the mining for their materials. Now many are getting sick in Brazil from toxic waste water seeping into the water supply.

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/mining-aluminum-ford-f-150-233000513.html

A class-action lawsuit against the owner of a refinery that produces aluminum ore used to make cars and EVs, including the Ford F-150 Lightning, argues that the refinery is polluting nearby rivers and streams, and endangering thousands of Brazilians in the process. The lawsuit represents 11,000 residents who live in communities close to the Hydro Alunorte refinery in Barcarena, Brazil, which is owned by the Norwegianaluminum company, Norsk Hydro ASA.

The Hydro refinery is allegedly releasing trace amounts of aluminum and other heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, cadmium, lead and nickel) into the area, which has led to birth defects and cancer, among other horrific illnesses.

A class-action lawsuit against the owner of a refinery that produces aluminum ore used to make cars and EVs, including the Ford F-150 Lightning, argues that the refinery is polluting nearby rivers and streams, and endangering thousands of Brazilians in the process. The lawsuit represents 11,000 residents who live in communities close to the Hydro Alunorte refinery in Barcarena, Brazil, which is owned by the Norwegianaluminum company, Norsk Hydro ASA.

The suit’s plaintiffs say that Norsk Hydro is responsible for an epidemic of illness that stems from rampant pollution at the refinery; those living in communities nearby allege that toxic waste is seeping into the water supply of Barcarena, according to an investigation by Bloomberg. The lawsuit will try to hold Hydro accountable for 10 incidents that have polluted and endangered the community, and these incidents go back for nearly two decades.

The Hydro refinery is allegedly releasing trace amounts of aluminum and other heavy metals (arsenic, chromium, cadmium, lead and nickel) into the area, which has led to birth defects and cancer, among other horrific illnesses.

According to the report, ore from Alunorte can be traced to aluminum used to build the Ford F-150 Lightning in the U.S. automaker’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center and Rouge assembly complex, overall, where the best-selling vehicle in America is made. Go read this report, because it’s a thorough look into the allegations of pollution in the Amazon, which could only get worse as the industry ramps up production of fully-electric vehicles.

Bloomberg explains that Ford switched from heavy steel to lighter aluminum to build the F-150 in 2015, and now that the truck will be sold as an EV, the company will need to offset the truck’s weight even more due to the F-150 Lightning’s battery. Basically, the advent of EVs will require increased mining and production of the lightweight metal to balance the load of heavy batteries in EV models like the Lightning. Automakers are looking to squeeze every last mile of range out of their upcoming EVs, including Ford.

Sponsored

 

[CB750F]

Bad news for anything that uses aluminum really.
These big companies need to clean their act but
I doubt it will change as it's been going on for a
century & more. Since the industrial revolution I guess.

 

[Trigganometry]

Dave, I’m going to say that that articles claim really has nothing to do with their headline. Ford is a customer, they’re not mining it.

Article say later on after you get through the accusations:
These companies, as well as the country of Brazil, respectively operate and host an export network that sends aluminum ore all over the world, with one third of Hydro Alunorte’s alumina going to North America. Alcoa was once Ford’s main supplier, but Ford switched to Hydro in 2016; Ford maintains its supply chain carries Aluminum Stewardship Initiative certification, which means it’s vetted by an independent third-party to ensure producers are sticking to certain standards.

So, I’m calling BS on that. But I do agree that the uptick in stripping the planet all in the name of progress is tragedy and greed

 

[AzScorpion]

Dave, I’m going to say that that articles claim really has nothing to do with their headline. Ford is a customer, they’re not mining it.

Article say later on after you get through the accusations:
These companies, as well as the country of Brazil, respectively operate and host an export network that sends aluminum ore all over the world, with one third of Hydro Alunorte’s alumina going to North America. Alcoa was once Ford’s main supplier, but Ford switched to Hydro in 2016; Ford maintains its supply chain carries Aluminum Stewardship Initiative certification, which means it’s vetted by an independent third-party to ensure producers are sticking to certain standards.

So, I’m calling BS on that. But I do agree that the uptick in stripping the planet all in the name of progress is tragedy and greed

I know Ford is the customer but the ore from Alunorte can be traced to aluminum used to build the Lighning. Ford also switched to Norsk Hydro which has already been hit with fines ($6.1M) back in 2018 for discharging untreated waste water from the Alunorte refinery during a flood. Also per the article "But what good is an ASI seal of approval to the people of Barcarena who’ve fallen ill, and many of whom are indigenous?"

To me it sounds like Ford (or any manufacturer) doesn't care where/how they get their products just as long as they can secure enough of it and at any expense ie human lives. But we're finding out more and more now these so called "green" vehicles aren't so green which most of us knew right from the start.

Researchers studying the communities around the Alunorte refinery in Barcarena, a vast industrial landscape of slurry tanks and tailings ponds on the outskirts of Belém, have found that rivers and streams are polluted with toxic metals. Some were at levels 57 times greater than what health experts consider safe. Residents showed Bloomberg the results of medical tests with even higher levels — in the case of one woman, 175 times the limit for aluminum in her hair and 81 times higher in her blood.

It’s a long and exhaustive explanation of the lawsuit and the conditions that precede it, but I encourage you to read through all of it because it reveals how aluminum is just one more raw material with a troubled origin that will be used to make so-called eco-friendly EVs like the Ford F-150 Lightning.

It describes just how the effort to decrease frame weight through increased use of aluminum is coming at great cost for those in the rainforest exposed to the toxic waste of mining and refining materials for EVs.

IDK A similar article is on Ford Authorities page too.

https://fordauthority.com/2023/02/ford-f-150-aluminum-supplier-allegedly-polluting-amazon/

 

[Trigganometry]

Dave, they’re planting the seed so stockholders don’t revolt when they heavily scale back their aspirations of an E-blue’s size and build numbers. With the investments made already the ROI is going to take an awfully longtime if they can’t get the raw materials to build with. So better fire the warning shots that this is going to happen no matter how much they invest in it

 

[AzScorpion]

Dave, they’re planting the seed so stockholders don’t revolt when they heavily scale back their aspirations of an E-blue’s size and build numbers. With the investments made already the ROI is going to take an awfully longtime if they can’t get the raw materials to build with. So better fire the warning shots that this is going to happen no matter how much they invest in it

Fords stock has been all over the place last year and you're right, it's all about pleasing the stockholders. But at what expense is it worth? No one has a crystal ball but I sure hope Ford knows what they're doing with all these huge EV sites they're building and the Millions they're investing into them. That's a gamble I'd be afraid to take seeing as the whole EV craze is still way to new. But I'm not a billionaire so what do I know. lol

 

[Jason B]

I saw that article. It's just wrong to call out Ford when in the headline when the article says "aluminum ore used to make cars and EV's, including Ford...". But I guess Ford has the deepest pockets to chase down that money.

 

[MountainGoat]

Dave, they’re planting the seed so stockholders don’t revolt when they heavily scale back their aspirations of an E-blue’s size and build numbers. With the investments made already the ROI is going to take an awfully longtime if they can’t get the raw materials to build with. So better fire the warning shots that this is going to happen no matter how much they invest in it

Hmm is that when I should short Ford stock? I will put the profits in an account labeled "Ranger Repairs".

 

[dtech]

Well that's the news biz putting focus on the mining in the Amazon but far worse is the widespread use of child labor and other unethical practices in the DRC where a majority of the world's cobalt is mined - and the Chinese hold large investments in the mines.
The US and other nations have taken steps to reduce reliance on DRC cobalt , including investing in lithium battery recycling. But if you use a smartphone, laptop , own an EV chances are the cobalt in the battery originated in the DRC , children as young as 6 may have mined it.

As to Ford's EV plan - I think very risky biz as in the US so highly dependent on the prevailing political powers , for example the current courts challenge as to whether EPAs exemption for states adopting CARB is lawful - IIRC 14 states for, 17 states challenging. EVs will not see the anticipated success in the US without continued gov and public support (which may be weakening) , over half of Ford's revenue comes from the US market

 

[Jason B]

Hmm is that when I should short Ford stock? I will put the profits in an account labeled "Ranger Repairs".

 

[Dereku]

Its our first world problems spilling over to 3rd world areas.

 

[AdamHarris]

Why the hell is the lightning even brought up in this article? Almost 1,000,000 F-series trucks every year since 2015 have been made of aluminum.. oh yeah, so they can tie in an EV buzz word.

 

[AzScorpion]

Why the hell is the lightning even brought up in this article? Almost 1,000,000 F-series trucks every year since 2015 have been made of aluminum.. oh yeah, so they can tie in an EV buzz word.

If you bothered to read it you'd have seen this. The Lightning takes 182 lbs MORE aluminum than the average car.

Whereas the average North American car contains 500 pounds of aluminum, the Lightning’s frame requires 682 pounds to make: the metal is used in the windshield header, frame tubing and exterior panels, as well as the rockers, according to Ford.

 

[RedlandRanger]

If you bothered to read it you'd have seen this. The Lightning takes 182 lbs MORE aluminum than the average car.

But does it take any more than a "regular" F-150? I can't image it would take almost 200 lbs more than a regular F-150 - sure it takes more than a car - it is a LOT bigger than a car....

I agree - I think they threw in the lightning just for the EV slant.....

 

[AdamHarris]

If you bothered to read it you'd have seen this. The Lightning takes 182 lbs MORE aluminum than the average car.

I don’t doubt that Dave. Point is the Entire body and bed of F 150s since 2015 and Super Bro Dozers since 2018 is completely aluminum. That’s a lot of material, far more than Lightenings have needed. A no I didn’t read it, ain’t nobody got time 4 dat!

Sponsored