The government of Shanghai has forced the closure of a battery-making plant belonging to Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) on charges that the plant is emitting excess lead into the nearby environment. The Shanghai environmental safety office claims that Johnson is the main source of lead pollution in the region. The closure follows earlier reports of lead poisoning in children in areas of Shanghai near the plant.
Johnson had its own environmental study done by a Chinese firm following the lead poisoning claims, according to Reuters:
The study, conducted by the China Electric Equipment Industry Association exonerated Johnson Controls and found an abnormally high zone of lead content from a garbage recycling plant near the residential area where 80 percent of the poisoned children lived, Johnson Controls said at the time.
China is particularly sensitive about heavy metal pollution, following a number of reported instances of poisoning and other maladies related to lead, mercury, and cadmium pollution.
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