EXIDE CASE:
LEAD CONTAMINATION IN LA

In 2015 a lead-acid recycling plant located in Vernon, California, and the property of Exide Industries was forced to close due to massive soil contamination in southeast LA, affecting more than 10,000 properties.[1]  Regulators say lead emissions from the Exide plant drifted across an area of residential properties spanning seven communities: Bell, Boyle Heights, Commerce, East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Maywood, and Vernon. The state soil sampling results show that more than 98% presented lead levels exceeding 80 parts per million, California’s health standard for residential soil.

The government forced Exide to pay for the repair of damages, but the cleaning costs surpassed the amount charged, and the process is slow. This is a clear example of environmental injustice, where the most vulnerable communities face a severe ecological burden. Investigations show that this plant had violated environmental regulations for more than 30 years as state regulators turned a blind eye. The government has started a prolonged cleaning process, which consists of taking the soil from each property and depositing it in the landfill while replacing it with new soil.

Lead is a heavy metal known for its high density. Humans have used it since ancient times. Its characteristic gray color and soft appearance were known by the Romans, who used it for plumbing installations (the reason for its chemical symbol Pb – plumbum). [2]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that more than 40 million tons of toxic waste are produced yearly in the United States. Of the hazardous wastes found on the ATSDR list, lead is number 2.[3] Lead dispersion through the environment comes primarily from anthropogenic soil, ground, and air activities. It has been used in paints (for 50 years), bullets, fuel additives (for 70 years), and the lead-acid battery industry (car batteries).

Lead used in paints and as a fuel additive was banned when the US Environmental Protection Agency found it dangerous for its exposure to humans, particularly children, since it acts as a neurotoxin, affecting the nervous system. Children are more susceptible to its effects because they can absorb four times more than adults. “Its poisoning causes problems in children such as impaired development, reduced intelligence, loss of short-term memory, learning disabilities and coordination problems; causes renal failure; increased risk for development of cardiovascular disease.”[4] In California, the limit for lead in soil is 80 ppm. [5]

The increased use of cars promoted by the oil and car industries has directly impacted the need for the extraction and recycling of lead for the production of lead batteries. This means that human transportation is causing lead to be moved in this unsustainable system. Animals also are affected by lead. A recent study discovered that lead exposure may be shared among wildlife living in urban areas and is associated with increased aggression, particularly in birds. [6] The same behavioral changes are seen in humans, existing a correlation between lead exposure and violence in contaminated cities. [7]

Important advocacy work is being led by community members and organizations, asking the government to hold Exide accountable, demanding justice and the complete remediation of the area. 

A personal source of concern is that these problems in recycling plants in the US are increasingly sending used batteries to Mexico for recycling. Avoiding the damage on the US territory by affecting other regions is another example of environmental injustice. This goes in hand with the consumerist system that disconnects sources, products, and final disposition of residues with the idea of “out of sight, out of mind.” [8]