August 9, 2011

There’s a fairly common saying that someone who says or does something really dimwitted must have “…eaten paint chips as a kid.” This insinuates they were exposed to lead found in older paints and suffered mental and/or physical disabilities from the exposure. To many, it’s just a crude joke, but for the workers in a Frisco, Texas battery recycling plant, the harm lead exposure can do to the body is no laughing matter.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) issued a press release last Thursday saying they had cited Georgia-based company Exide Technologies for a serious, and repeat, offense of exposing employees to high levels of lead at the battery recycling facility located in Frisco. The company has been fined twice before, at separate locations, for the same offense of not monitoring and adjusting employees’ lead exposure depending on the number of hours worked. According to law, employees can only be exposed to 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter over an eight hour period. Fines for the violation will total roughly $77,000.

Lead exposure over a short period of time can have various effects on the body, such as:

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Muscle aches
  • Anemia
  • Death

The Dallas Environmental Injury Attorneys with Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel are committed to holding companies that are careless with hazardous chemicals and waste accountable for their actions and the ramifications on their employee’s health. Contact them immediately for a free consultation of your case.