A metal recycling facility was charged Thursday with 25 counts for allegedly exposing students at Jordan High School in Watts to massive explosions, hazardous waste and lead concentrations 75 times higher than those considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, authorities said.

S&W Atlas Metal & Iron and its owners, Matthew Weisenberg and Gary Weisenberg, were charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with 23 felonies related to the disposal of hazardous waste and two misdemeanors for failing to minimize the risk of explosion or fire. The defendants pleaded not guilty.

“No child should expose themselves to such dangers while trying to learn” – Dist. Los Angeles County. Atty. George Gascón said at a press conference. “By suing Atlas Metals, we are sending a message that a corporation’s disregard for environmental regulations will not be tolerated.”

Gascón initially announced two dozen charges against Atlas in June 2023.

A company spokesman described Gascón’s Thursday conference call as a “tactical play.”

“Today’s indictment repeats 24 counts from a complaint filed over a year ago and adds one misdemeanor,” the spokesman said in a statement. “In court, Atlas explained to the judge the actions taken over the years to protect the neighboring school, and the court was satisfied with that protection.”

Atlas has continued to operate since the allegations were made.

When students arrived on campus for the first day of school this fall, they were greeted by an ear-splitting bang and a plume of smoke billowing from the Atlas Mountains. The indictment announced on Thursday includes an additional charge relating to the August 12 explosion.

“The explosion that occurred on the first day of school made me realize that only the worst perpetrators of environmental crimes would feel compelled to continue business as usual while students were exposed to toxins,” said Genesis Cruz, a 2023 graduate of Jordan r. Tall. “This needs to be shut down immediately and gotten out of our community.”

Cruz recalls inhaling “brown, dirty air” while studying at Jordan High and stated that she often had trouble concentrating due to loud bangs coming from the metal recycling plant.

She was one of the first community members to raise the alarm about unsafe conditions at the plant, helping organize protests and reaching out to school districts and elected officials.

For years, Cruz’s cries went unheard.

Now she and other community organizers say they feel progress is finally being made.

Read more:Los Angeles police say $46,000 worth of stolen copper and aluminum found at recycling center

“As a resident of the Watts community for my entire life, 71 years, I am truly hopeful that a project we have been working on for almost 15 years is coming to an end,” said Tim Watkins, director and CEO of the Watts Community Action Committee. “We are finally seeing a step towards justice.”

Atlas has operated next to Jordan High School for over 70 years and has a long history of explosions.

In May 2002, an explosion caused metal fragments to fall on Jordan’s campus while workers were cutting down an oil drum. A few months later, in December 2002, the facility was dismantling Navy munitions when a large shell exploded and a piece of metal flew onto the campus.

In 2020, the Los Angeles Unified School District filed a lawsuit against Atlas, claiming it put students and teachers in danger by releasing sharp pieces of metal, smoke, fumes and other hazards onto school property.

According to authorities, soil samples taken on the Jordan campus show excessive levels of lead and zinc.

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, exposure to high levels of lead can damage the nervous system in children, causing problems including hearing loss, seizures, learning disabilities and reduced intelligence.

The defendants are scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on October 28.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.