Risking Lives in Parung Panjang
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Charcoal, lead sheets and used batteries are put into a furnace in Jagabaya village, Parung Panjang district, Bogor, West Java, Friday (03/08/2018). The liquefied lead sheets gathered at the bottom of the furnace would then be poured into block molds. The used batteries were taken from suppliers from various regions.
Flames dance as they burn sheets of lead from used batteries. The thick smog it produced darkened the skies at dawn one day at Jagabaya village in Parung Panjang district, Bogor regency. The stench of acid filled the air and lead dust flew everywhere.
The uninitiated will be overwhelmed in just minutes by the stench of acid from the illegal lead smelter the size of a volleyball court. However, the two workers at the smelter owned by 29-year-old TR stood by the furnace, even though they were not wearing safety masks.