Torrance Foundry Fights New AQMD Attempt to Close It

Air quality officials are seeking to shut down a Torrance foundry for the second time in two weeks, saying it is spewing highly toxic lead particles into the air in concentrations two times greater than the federal limit.

Joseph Panasiti, a prosecutor for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said he has notified attorneys for the Martin Brass Foundry that air samples taken outside the plant Tuesday contained excessive levels of lead.

“This is a very unhealthy situation,” Panasiti said Friday. “We’re going to seek a closure until they can demonstrate that they can operate without exceeding the federal standard.”

But Martin Brass questions the findings and will not obey the request to close, a company official said.

Panasiti said he formally asked Martin Brass on Friday to cease operations, citing a court injunction the AQMD obtained Aug. 16 requiring that the foundry meet the federal ambient air standard for lead--1.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

If the foundry refuses to close, Panasiti said, he will seek an order from Los Angeles Superior Court, which issued last week’s injunction, compelling the company to do so.

A court battle appears likely.

Charles Ivie, an attorney for Martin Brass, said the foundry will not obey the AQMD request because the AQMD is using the federal lead standard incorrectly.

“The plan is that the foundry will be functioning on Monday, though maybe at a reduced level,” Ivie said Friday. He added that the foundry will continue making repairs to lower its lead emissions.

Last week’s tests mark the second time the AQMD has cited Martin Brass for violating federal air quality standards. The foundry closed voluntarily Aug. 14 after earlier AQMD tests showed extremely high levels of lead particles--up to 20 times the federal standard--in the air around the plant.

But the foundry resumed operations last Monday after engineers repaired ducts that form part of its pollution control system.

Martin Brass, at 2341 Jefferson St., is just north of Charles Wilson Community Park and close to the Southern California Regional Occupational Center, a church and a day-care center.

Los Angeles County health officials are conducting tests independently of the AQMD to determine whether lead from the foundry has posed a health risk to people nearby. Breathing air contaminated with high concentrations of lead can cause brain damage and has been linked to high blood pressure in adults.