Torrance Foundry Stops Work Because of Lead Emissions

A Torrance foundry has temporarily halted operations at the request of air quality officials amid evidence that it has been emitting airborne lead particles in concentrations up to 20 times higher than federal law allows.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District says extremely high lead emissions by Martin Brass Foundry, 2341 Jefferson St., were detected in samples it took at the facility during April and May.

The tests also revealed elevated concentrations of airborne zinc. But officials said their main worry is airborne lead, which has been linked to high blood pressure and can cause brain damage.

“This is very unusual,” AQMD spokeswoman Claudia Keith said Wednesday, when asked about the lead readings. “The district is very concerned. We consider it a very serious violation.”

Martin Brass closed down Tuesday at the AQMD’s request so it could correct its air emission problems, air quality officials said. They said it is not known for how long the air pollution has taken place.

Officials at the foundry could not be reached for comment.

The foundry is in a largely industrial section of Torrance. But it is within half a mile of residential neighborhoods and four schools--Torrance High, Torrance Elementary, the Shery Continuation High School and the Southern California Regional Occupational Center.

Owen Griffith, president of the Torrance School Board, said Wednesday he had not been notified of the AQMD findings, but he expressed concern after learning of them.

“The wind here comes out of the west, so it could carry these pollutants over several of our schools,” Griffith said.

Dennis Delaney of the AQMD’s enforcement division declined to give figures on the extent of the emissions from the foundry, saying his agency has not yet prepared its final report.

But Delaney said lead concentrations in air taken at the facility were up to 20 times greater than the federal limit of 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

And though there are no state or federal standards for zinc particles in ambient air, he said, concentrations of that metal were far above its average levels in the L.A. basin.

Keith, the AQMD spokeswoman, said engineers with her agency are not certain how long it will take for Martin Brass to repair its equipment so the foundry can reduce the concentrations of lead and zinc in its emissions.

“We’re still not certain what they will have to do to fix this,” Keith said.