Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon fights accusation of high lead emissions
The plant was ordered to cut production by almost half but says the dangerous levels were measured at a factory across the street.
Dangerous levels of toxic lead were emitted by a Southern California battery recycling facility for months, until regulators ordered the facility to cut production by almost half, officials said.
An Exide Technologies plant in Vernon was emitting lead at levels nearly twice the federal limits between December and April, according to South Coast Air Quality Management District staff.
But company officials are fighting the findings and the mandatory slowdown, saying their monitors have shown no abnormally high levels.
Jack London, the plant's smelting manager, said the high levels had been registered by an AQMD monitor across the street at a plastics manufacturer.
"We're not trying to point fingers at anybody; we're trying to be good neighbors," London said. "The way they did the monitoring we feel is challengeable, and that's what we're doing right now."
AQMD lead attorney Kurt Wiese said one of several monitors might have been moved. Nonetheless, "we stand by the monitoring results," he said. "Our best scientific determination is that the lead emissions are coming from Exide, and significantly, as Exide's [production] has dropped . . . monitored lead levels have dropped as well."
Lead exposure in even relatively small amounts can cause nerve damage, childhood retardation and other serious problems. Federal officials are currently weighing whether to tighten existing lead limits.
The AQMD also ordered the plant to plug any holes in its building, install more monitors, clean up dust on rooftop areas and sweep nearby roads and sidewalks three times a day. If lead emissions stay low, the plant will be allowed to increase production gradually.
AQMD staff said they did not know whether workers in the facility or surrounding area had been notified that they might have been exposed.
Employees of the Exide plant are required to wear some respiratory equipment to protect them from lead emissions, London said.
The Exide plant normally processes about 800 tons of lead-acid batteries five days a week, London said. Being ordered to reduce its throughput by about 40% has cost the company dearly.
"That's why we're fighting it; it puts us in financial straits big-time," he said.
janet.wilson@latimes.com
- Plan Says Clean-Air Standards Won't Be Met - Pollution: Officials predict that emissions will decline through the year 2000 despite business and population growth. Apr 09, 1991
- Judge rules against selling pollution credits to power plants Jul 31, 2008
- Air Is Cleanest Since Monitoring Began in '73 - Pollution: A county official says the weather and tighter regulations on industry were responsible for the good showing. Dec 27, 1990
