http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33749-lax-regulatory-enforcement-leaves-thousands-at-risk-of-lead-poisoning-in-california

Lax Regulatory Enforcement Leaves Thousands at Risk of Lead Poisoning in California

Sunday, 22 November 2015 00:00
By Daniel Ross, Truthout | Report


As much as 33,600 cubic yards of contaminated soil is being removed from a cleanup site at Jordan Downs in Watts, Los Angeles. Community advocates say the cleanup doesn't meet health and safety standards. (Photo: Legal Aid Foundation)

California's regulatory agencies have repeatedly failed in their testing, enforcement and cleanup of various lead-contaminated sites in the state, an investigation by Truthout has revealed.

The investigation comprised three separate sites in and around Los Angeles: the Quemetco lead-acid battery recycling facility in the city of Industry, the Jordan Downs housing project in Watts (a toxic cleanup site), and a former police department firing range in Pasadena.

The pattern of lax regulatory enforcement at contaminated sites comes at a time when scientists recognize that lead - one of the World Health Organization's 10 chemicals of major public health concern - has no safe levels, especially for fetuses and children.

High levels of lead exposure in young children, who are prone to ingesting contaminated dirt, can cause serious nervous system problems, as well as irreversible damage to IQ. The findings of one recent study suggest that the epigenetic effects of lead are passed down through generations. In California alone, lead exposure results in lost earnings of up to $11 billion over the lifetime of children born each year, according to a 2015 study by the Public Health Institute.

The state's recent response to lead contamination around the Exide lead battery recycling plant has thrown a public spotlight on the issue. The Exide cleanup in the city of Vernon, which is already underway, is expected to encompass thousands of homes in what could prove to be the largest cleanup of its kind in the state. The cost per home is estimated to be in the region of $50,000.

"Unfortunately, there are more Exides just around the corner," said Liza Tucker, a consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest group. "And Quemetco is the next Exide."

<>