Source: https://www.laprogressive.com/

Sued last year by the state for its role as an owner and operator during the 1970s of a notoriously dirty lead-acid battery recycling facility in Vernon, just east of Los Angeles, NL Industries has filed a counterclaim arguing that property owners and other parties, including businesses, are to blame for area lead levels that have triggered one of the largest toxic cleanups in the state’s history.

The plant in question was purchased by Exide Technologies in 2000 and operated by the company until 2015, when the federal government swooped in to shut it down after years of serious compliance problems. The former Exide plant operated for nearly a century under various owners, during which time the property spewed thousands of pounds of lead, mercury, arsenic and other pollutants into the surrounding community. Read more.