Another green company scandal?

As if the Solyndra and LightSquared controversies were not enough, another one of President Obama’s favorite companies pushing the green agenda is being investigated, this time in China.

Johnson Controls Inc., which is headquartered in Wisconsin and operates a battery manufacturing facility in Shanghai, has recently come under scrutiny by locals for excessive cases of lead poisoning in children living in the area.  According to China Daily, 25 children in Kangqiao town are being treated for lead poisoning.  The Johnson Controls plant, along with others in the area, has been shut down.

The company released a statement claiming the shutdown was due to reaching their lead production quota set by the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau and that the company had voluntarily halted production upon exhausting the quota.

The Johnson Controls plant is located just 700 meters (less than 1/2 mile) from Kangqiao town where the poisoned children live.  The company spends more than $470 USD on health protection for each worker every month.  Some have been found to have excessive lead levels in their blood.  (Source:  China Daily)

Lead poisoning affects the nervous system primarily but can also affect the muscular and reproductive systems.  Children are more affected by excessive blood lead levels than adults.

“In March of this year, 332 people, including 99 children tested positive for lead poisoning in Zhejiang province in eastern China. Local government suspended a local battery factory responsible for the poisoning.”  (Source: CNN International)

Obama visited Johnson Controls Inc. in Wisconsin last summer as part of his push for the green agenda.  Johnson Controls manufactures lithium-ion batteries, also called “stop-go” batteries for hybrid vehicles.