TUESDAY April 20, 2021: POISONED by award winning Tampa Bay Times photographers Martha Asencio Rhine, Dick Shadd, James Borchuck and Yalonda M. James: Hundreds of workers at a Tampa lead smelter have been exposed to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin. Gopher exposed workers for years to levels of lead in the air that were hundreds of times higher than the federal limit. The consequences have been profound. Tampa Bay Times reporters Corey G. Johnson, Rebecca Woolington and Eli Murray spent 18 months examining thousands of pages of regulatory reports and company documents, including data tracking the amount of lead in the air and in workers' blood. OSHA The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is supposed to ensure that companies provide safe work environments. But the regulatory agency has repeatedly bungled the job at Gopher, allowing hazardous conditions to persist for years, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found. Welcome to: POISONED
© zReportage.com Story of the Week #783: TUESDAY April 20, 2021: POISONED by award winning Tampa Bay Times photographers Martha Asencio Rhine, Dick Shadd, James Borchuck and Yalonda M. James: Hundreds of workers at a Tampa lead smelter have been exposed to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin. Gopher exposed workers for years to levels of lead in the air that were hundreds of times higher than the federal limit. The consequences have been profound. Tampa Bay Times reporters Corey G. Johnson, Rebecca Woolington and Eli Murray spent 18 months examining thousands of pages of regulatory reports and company documents, including data tracking the amount of lead in the air and in workers' blood. OSHA The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is supposed to ensure that companies provide safe work environments. But the regulatory agency has repeatedly bungled the job at Gopher, allowing hazardous conditions to persist for years, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found. Welcome to: POISONED

KO BROWN was a furnace supervisor at Gopher Resource, a lead plant in Tampa, for six years. Although Brown developed blood pressure issues due to the high lead levels in his blood, he said the money kept him at the job. 'I felt like they showed us money that we've never seen before, so we rationalized working there,' Brown said. 'None of us paid attention to it.' Gopher exposed workers for years to levels of lead in the air that were hundreds of times higher than the federal limit. The consequences have been profound.
© Martha Asencio Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

A worker inside Gopher Resource in Tampa, the only lead smelter in the state of Florida. Gopher exposed workers for years to levels of lead in the air that were hundreds of times higher than the federal limit. The consequences have been profound.
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ERIC AUTERY, a former furnace operator at Gopher Resource, poses for a portrait outside his home. Autery, an Army veteran, said his time at Gopher Resource took a toll on his health. 'The first three months were okay and then everything started to go downhill,' said Autery. 'I've been to Iraq. I was more tired in that place than I was in Iraq.' During his time working at Gopher, Autery's energy was low and his skin turned gray. He recalls the long hours and the concerning working conditions but admits the money was very good, just not worth the mental and physical toll.
© Martha Asencio Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

Lead-laced dust cascades inside Gopher Resource in Tampa, the only lead smelter in the state of Florida. Gopher exposed workers for years to levels of lead in the air that were hundreds of times higher than the federal limit. The consequences have been profound.
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ERIC TELEMAQUE, 54, a former employee at Gopher Resource in the battery breaking department, is pictured outside the nursing home where he is now living, after going through several strokes which have left him impaired and unable to live independently.
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Lead-laced dust cascades inside Gopher Resource in Tampa, the only lead smelter in the state of Florida. The video was taken in 2019.
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JAMES PITTS jokes with his son, DEVON PITTS, 11, outside their home. Pitts is a former maintenance technician at Gopher Resource where he worked from 2012-2017. He quickly developed 'pre-hypertension' and years later was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation after a few episodes of irregular heartbeat that left him feeling winded and weak and on the verge of 'blacking out.' Pitts believes these health issues are a result of lead exposure at the plant. DeVon also tested for lead in his system in 2015 but hasn't developed any health issues.
© Martha Asencio Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

Lead-laced dust cascades inside Gopher Resource in Tampa, the only lead smelter in the state of Florida. Hundreds of workers at a Tampa lead smelter have been exposed to dangerous levels of the neurotoxin.
© Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

RICKY LAWRENCE BARTELS, a former employee at Gopher Resource, at his home in Tampa. Bartels dealt with the effects of sulfur dioxide exposure in 2012 while working at Gopher. So it surprised him when an OSHA inspector instead wanted to test for sulfuric acid, the wrong chemical.
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An aerial view of the Gopher Resource factory in Tampa. Regulators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began inspecting Gopher Resource, a Tampa lead smelter where dangerous conditions have plagued the factory for years.
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JACOB CLEMENTE, 26, a former contractor at for BNN Welding who worked at Gopher Resource for three months in 2013, sits outside his home in Brandon. Clemente recalls an incident in which after shaking bags in the bathhouse, he passed out and woke up in an ambulance. Doctors treated him for trouble breathing and shortly after he developed chest pains that persist regularly. Clemente describes the environment as rundown and unclean.
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Photos taken by workers at Gopher Resource in Tampa show a filthy lead dust filled factory plagued with problems.
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TOMIKA BENNETT, 45, helps her son, COLIN BROWN, 7, with a wrist exercise during his occupational therapy session which is done virtually, at home every week. Colin was diagnosed with autism and had high lead levels in his blood at a young age, which his parents believe was due to his father, Ko Brown, bringing it home from his work at Gopher Resource. The occupational therapy includes low-impact exercises, memory games, and work to improve fine motor skills, including writing.
© Martha Asencio Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

Lead-laced dust cascades inside Gopher Resource in Tampa, the only lead smelter in the state of Florida. Gopher exposed workers for years to levels of lead in the air that were hundreds of times higher than the federal limit. Stills from a video taken in 2019.
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LEN VERNON, 37, a former plant and heavy equipment operator at Gopher Resource from 2013 to 2019, at home in Tampa. Vernon developed high blood pressure, gout and fatigue. 'I just started to fade away,' he said. At the highest, Vernon tested for over 30 mcg/dL of lead in his blood. Vernon was diagnosed with acute chemical bronchitis after he swallowed silica, limestone and shredded steel while working at Gopher Resource.
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TEDDY EBANKS Jr., 43, is a former employee of Gopher Resource. He held several positions at the company from 2011-2016. The Marine veteran developed health issues while employed with Gopher, but didn't elaborate on the dilemmas he faced. 'I understand that I couldn't stay at that type of place without either poisoning myself or bringing it home to my family,' Ebanks said, a father of two daughters ages 21 and 17. 'Cause at that place, you're required to take a shower every time you come back from the lead plant, so that's how dangerous they knew that stuff was. And apparently the PPE that was given us was ill equipped to handle the exposure that we were working in.. that's very hurtful because I gave my all. People gave their blood, sweat and tears to that place and then just to know that they purposely and knowingly put us in hazardous places and make it seem like we're the ones at fault when we had high lead exposure. It's very hurtful.'
© Yalonda M. James/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

KEVIN ERIC LEWIS, a former furnace laborer at Gopher Resource, who worked for the company from 2009 to 2015, outside his home. Lewis dealt with headaches and heart issues after constantly being exposed to lead during work at the factory.
© Martha Asencio Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire

Tampa Bay Times reporters ELI MURRAY and COREY JOHNSON take soil samples near the Gopher Resource factory in Tampa. Samples were sent to a lab and tested for lead. Gopher exposed workers for years to levels of lead in the air that were hundreds of times higher than the federal limit. Times reporters spent 18 months examining thousands of pages of regulatory reports and company documents, including data tracking the amount of lead in the air and in workers' blood. They interviewed more than 80 current and former workers, 20 of whom shared their medical records.
© James Borchuck/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire