Vernon vs. Exide: The Fight For Justice

How can supposedly green initiatives, such as battery recycling, still result in dirty outcomes?Community members in Vernon, California, fight to shut down a local battery recycling plantbecause its toxic waste is polluting their air, water, and soil. The company and governmentalagencies that are supposed to be responsible fail to listen and act, forcing the community to takeever more dramatic action. This episode examines their fight for environmental justice andhighlights the distinction between policy-driven environmentalism and the real-worldconsequences that disproportionately harm minority communities. Episode AuthorsSamuel Desai, Alice Heiman, Ian Briski Interviews:Rossmery ZayasCommunity organizing since the age of 14, Rossmery Zayas is now a South East Los Angeles(SELA) Youth Organizer at Communities for a Better Environment (CBE). She works extensivelyin grassroots activism, and has participated in several campaigns, including shutting down thetoxic battery recycling plant facility owned by Exide Technologies (one of the world’s largestproducers and distributors of batteries) in Vernon, California. Rossmery Zayas majored inCommunication Studies and studied at Humboldt State University, East Los Angeles College, andCal State LA.Organization link: Jenna ForsythDr. Jenna Forsyth is a research scientist affiliated with the School of Medicine, Woods Institutefor Environment, and King Center for Global Development at Stanford University. Dr. Forsyth’swork addresses the global environmental health problems stemming from contaminants in air,water, soil, and food. Her recent work revolves around lead pollution in South Asia, where shechampioned getting lead out of turmeric in Bangladesh.Website link: Rose TarucMari Rose Taruc is a Filipino-American artist and activist in Oakland, CA. She has been advancinglocal, state, national, and international environmental justice campaigns for clean air, affordablehousing, renewable energy, and climate solutions for over 28 years. Before her role at CaliforniaEnvironmental Justice Alliance (CEJA), she held various environmental justice roles at theSouthwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (SNEEJ) and Asian PacificEnvironmental Network. Inspired by Hurricane Katrina, she founded a neighborhood group inOakland, where she has lived for over two decades, to fight gentrification, promote affordablehousing, redefine community safety, and actively engage in elections.Website link: References and Further Reading● Barboza, T. (2015, December 21). Story So Far: How a battery recycler contaminated L.A.-area homes for decades. Los Angeles Times. Barboza, T. (2020, October 16). Court approves abandonment of Exide plant and toxiccleanup. Los Angeles Times. Briscoe, T. (2024, July 11). Exide site on the verge of getting Superfund designation. LosAngeles Times. CA.gov. (2016, November 4). Governor Brown Issues Statement on Paris ClimateAgreement Milestone | Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Retrieved March 1, 2025 from California Department of Toxic Substances Control. (October, 2020) The State’s PoorManagement of the Exide Cleanup Project Has Left Californians at Continued Risk ofLead Poisoning. CDC. (2024, October 31). Exide Contamination Information and Resources. CommunityStress Resource Center. Retrieved March 1, 2025 from Communities for a Better Environment. (2021). Exide Technologies. cbecal.org. RetrievedMarch 1, 2025 DTSC.gov. Exide Residential Cleanup. Department of Toxic Substances Control.Retrieved March 1, 2025 from EPA.gov (2024, September 4). EPA Proposes to Add Exide Technologies – Vernon Site toSuperfund National Priorities List. Retrieved March 1, 2025 from Exide: A Local Red Line. (2015, December 27). Rossmery’s Blog: My Thoughts Are MyOwn. Retrieved March 1, 2025 from Justice.gov. (2015, June 23) Exide Technologies Admits Role In Major Hazardous WasteCase And Agrees To Permanently Close Battery Recycling Facility In Vernon. RetrievedMarch 1, 2025 Johnston, J. E., & Hricko, A. (2017). Industrial Lead Poisoning in Los Angeles: Anatomy of aPublic Health Failure. Environmental Justice, 10(5), 162–167. Johnston, J. E., Lopez, mark, Gribble, M. O., Gutschow, W., Austin, C., & Arora, M. (2019). ACollaborative Approach to Assess Legacy Pollution in Communities Near a Lead–AcidBattery Smelter: The “Truth Fairy” Project. Health Education & Behavior, 46(1_suppl),71S80S. Osgood, Brian. (2021, March 29). “I felt I killed my children”: lead poisons Californiacommunity – and fills kids’ teeth. The Guardian; The Guardian. Pearce, F. (2020b, November 2). Getting the lead out: Why battery recycling is a globalhealth hazard. Yale E360. Peterson, M. (2015, November 19). City of Industry battery recycler ordered to test forlead pollution. LAist. Retrieved March 1, 2025 from Rossmery’s Blog: My Thoughts Are My Own. (2020). Rossmery’s Blog: My Thoughts AreMy Own. Retrieved March 1, 2025 from Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Coorperation (SEC). (April, 2013).Hazardous Trade? An Examination of US-generated Spent Lead-acid Battery Exports andSecondary Lead Recycling in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Retrieved from Wani, A. L., Ara, A., & Usmani, J. A. (2015). Lead toxicity: a review. InterdisciplinaryToxicology, 8(2), 55–64. WHO. (2022, October 23). Almost 1 million people die every year due to lead poisoning,with more children suffering long-term health effects. WHO.int; World HealthOrganization. Retrieved March 1, 2025 from WHO. (2024, September 27). Lead poisoning. WHO.int; World Health Organization.Retrieved March 1, 2025 from Zhang, W., Yang, J., Wu, X., Hu, Y., Yu, W., Wang, J., Dong, J., Li, M., Liang, S., Hu, J., & Kumar,R. V. (2016). A critical review on secondary lead recycling technology and its prospect.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 61, 108–122. & Sound Effect AcknowledgementsApollo Diedre by Glass Obelisk – by Little Rock – by Confectionery – Morning by Glacier Quartet - Araby – Cavalry by Grey Acres – by Azalai – the Garden Walls by Muridae – Down by Confectionery – by The Sweet Hots – by Sticker Sheet – by Mortem Obire – Crowd by BBC Sound Effects – by BBC Sound Effect – Bell Sound FX by Ryan Lloyd, Youtube – Aircraft Takeoff by Cryptowista, Pixabay – Plugins and DAWCreated using Hindenberg with free plugins from MeldaProduction. Download at

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Vernon vs. Exide: The Fight For Justice is an episode from Soundings by Soundings from Stanford.

This episode is 15:57 long.

This episode was published on Apr 22, 2025.

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