Which Way, L.A.?
Exide Acid-Battery Recycler and Public Health Concerns
Exide, in Vernon, has people from Boyle Heights to Hancock Park in fear of cancer and other diseases after years of lead and arsenic emissions.
By Warren Olney • • 25m ListenOne of just two plants west of the Rockies that recycle car batteries was saved by a judge from state efforts to shut it down. Now the Air Quality Management District is holding hearings with the same end in view. Exide, in Vernon, has people from Boyle Heights to Hancock Park in fear of cancer and other diseases after years of lead and arsenic emissions. Exide says it’s cleaned up its act at a cost of millions. If it shut down, where would 25,000 batteries every day go to die? We get a progress report. Also, if you live in Los Angeles, say goodbye to plastic bags at the grocery store. Will you buy paper? What about using reusable bags?
On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church has called free-enterprise capitalism "a new tyranny" and called for restoring the focus on serving the poor. We hear different views on what Pope Francis means about politics, economics and religion.
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2 storiesPlastic Bag Ban Going into Effect January 1
On January 1, Los Angeles will become America's biggest city to ban plastic bags from big retailers. Small stores can still give them away until next summer. Councilman Paul Koretz pushed for the ban and now he's raising money for reusable tote bags to be given away free.
Read the story10 minIs One Recycler Doing More Harm than Good?
Automobile batteries are made of toxic materials and they're recycled to protect the environment. Exide, a company in Vernon, melts down 25,000 a day and creates lead ingots for sale. But for years, neighbors insist, the plant has emitted both lead and arsenic, with devastating health effects from Boyle heights to Hancock Park.
Read the story16 min
