At least 25 California counties have sued the automaker Tesla, claiming the company’s hazardous waste disposal violated state health and safety codes. Used lubricating oils, brake fluids, lead acid batteries, aerosols, antifreeze, waste solvents, paint and e-waste are among the contaminants listed in the allegations. It’s possible Tesla simply had a breakdown in its hazardous waste management plan, says Treavor Boyer, a professor and chair of the environmental engineering program in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Fulton Schools. Nevertheless, Boyer says, the situation appears to be a violation of California mandates that are more stringent than federal regulations.