Gould Battery- Smoke

Gould Battery- Smoke

Omaha Lead Industry

The image above shows heavy smoke coming from large industrial lead division of a battery factory. This colorless artifact image was taken in 1968 in the northeast region of Omaha. The factory is shown to be surrounded by many power lines. The surroundings of the factory look quite dirty. The sign on the buildings specifically reads "Lead Division Gould-National Batteries, Inc". This factory was initially owned by Aaron Ferer and Sons from 1950 to 1963, then by Gould Electronics Incorporation from 1963 to 1982, when it closed down due to lead concerns (Sasse, 2016). The image displays eerie depiction of what the factory was like, setting a dark feeling of what it may have been like to work their everyday. This lead division of the factory is a prime example of the many lead based industries that emerged in the 20th century.

The factory depicted in the image was itself responsible for massive impacts. According to a recent court case filed by the district of Nebraska, the United States incurred over $275 million in fees for investigating and responding to the pollution caused by the factory (United States v. Aaron Ferer & Sons Co., 2001). This included responding to "releasing of heavy metals into the air, releases onto the private property of Omaha residents, and contaminating their back yards and gardens with lead and other hazardous substances" (United States v. Aaron Ferer & Sons Co., 2001).

But surrounding contamination of lead was not the only exposure problem with lead based factories. Workers of the factories such as Goulds lead division could have been potentially exposed to lead in many ways. Workers may have been breathing in lead dust, or fumes (Maizlish & Rudolph, 1989). They also could have been swallowing lead if it got on their hands, face, and clothing, or in their food, tobacco, or drinks (Maizlish & Rudolph, 1989).

Unfortunately, there is little epidemiological research on the number of employees that were exposed to lead prior to the 1980s. This lack of measurement of occupational lead exposure levels may be attributed to the lack of regulation for lead exposure levels, as due to lack of support the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) did not set any regulation until 1989 (29 U.S.C. §§ 652-671a). Despite a lack of information for occupational lead exposure levels, child exposure levels (non-industrially) were evidently collected much more, as can be seen in research. This may be attributed to the greater effects that lead exposure had on children, as people as early as 1904 were saying, "The use of lead paint within the reach of children should be prohibited by law” (Gibson, 1905).

Lead was evidently used a long period of time before any meaningful attention was allocated towards viewing it as the dangerous toxin that we know it to be. Ultimately, this lead to people, both adults and children, being exposed to it for centuries on end (Warren, 2001).






CITATIONS-

Adam F. Sasse. (2016, April 18). A History of Lead Poisoning in North Omaha. Retrieved from https://northomahahistory.com/2016/04/18/a-history-of-lead-poisoning-in-north-omaha/.

United States v. Aaron Ferer & Sons Co., No. 8:12-cv-00406, 2001 (D.N. JAN. 1, 2001).

Rudolph L, Maizlish N, et al: Surveillance for Occupational Lead Exposure - United States, 1987. MMWR 1989; 38(37): 642-646.

U.S. Congress. (1988) United States Code: Occupational Safety and Health, 29 U.S.C. §§ 652-671a Suppl. 4. [Periodical] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/uscode1988-045029015/.

J.L. Gibson, “The Importance of Lumbar Puncture in the Plumbic Ocular Neuritis of Children,”Australian Medical Congress Transactions 11 (1905): 750–754.

Warren, C. (2001). Brush with death: a social history of lead poisoning. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Rohit Akella,
Betty Straub

Original format: 35mm black and white film roll