Some components of the Ford F-150 Lightning Could Be Highly Harmful to Health

A Ford subcontractor based in Brazil is under investigation following a complaint by a group of residents, who accuse it of poisoning the local water and causing birth defects and cancers.

It is always important to maintain perspective and choose words carefully, which is far from the case with many public figures and politicians. No, a car cannot be “green” or “clean,” just like any industrial product. Manufacturing processes are certainly less polluting than others, but 100% “cleanliness” does not exist, whether for making a car, a bicycle, or a smartphone.

Certainly, breathing the air after an electric car has passed will be less toxic than after an old diesel utility vehicle, but the debate remains open regarding the entire manufacturing process.

Today, the spotlight is on the impressive American pickup truck Ford F-150 Lightning. While it emits no CO2 at the mechanical level, its tires spread fine particles like any other vehicle.

But it is mainly one of Ford’s subcontractors that is accused by a group of 11,000 residents in Barcarena, Brazil, near the Hydro Alunorte refinery. Owned by a Norwegian company called Norsk Hydro, which has specialized in aluminum production since 1995, the residents claim that the factory has released traces of aluminum and other metals into the waterways, which according to them has led to numerous illnesses, including cancers and congenital disabilities.

A Very Severe Pollution

The process of converting bauxite into alumina, which is then transformed into aluminum, is at the center of the issue. According to tests conducted in neighboring rivers, the level of toxic substances would be 57 times above the alert level. Norsk Hydro denies this, and has until March 8 to provide contradictory data.

This drama has been reported by the highly reputable magazine Bloomberg, an American weekly specializing in economics (read the article in English on Bloomberg), which outlined the entire manufacturing process of the Ford F-150 Lightning. Like many electric vehicles, it makes extensive use of aluminum to better control weight. The F-150 Lightning contains 309 kg of aluminum compared to an average of 227 kg in traditional American cars.

We will keep you informed about the developments of this investigation.

Sources: Bloomberg and Carscoops

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