To paraphrase a late 1960s slogan: “Lead is not good for children and other living things.” It’s a rare month goes by when some state or federal agency doesn’t sing this refrain over and over again.

I’m not here to tell you to sprinkle some every day on your morning cereal. But I am here to bring a little perspective to the often knee-jerk reaction most media seem to have on lead remediation stories.

Oh, and I’ve never worked nor do I intend to work for a lead mining company. It’s just, as a geologically trained individual, I’m here to tell you a few things about lead:

• People have been trying to get the lead out of Missouri since it attracted people here with the first European reports around 1695. After over 300 years of trying, no one, neither for profit, non-profit or government agency will ever succeed. There is not and cannot be such thing as a lead-free Missouri.
• Of the three kinds of lead exposure (aerosol, dissolved in water, and solid) the least harmful to humans is solid. Solid lead, in the form of galena, (lead sulfide, which is over 90% of the lead ore ever mined in Missouri) is the least bioavailable form there is. Bioavailability means “will it be incorporated into a living being as part of their body.”
• There are at least 9000 known and located lead mines, diggins, prospect pits, mining contaminated sites in the state. Hence the truth of point 1, above.
• The major toxicity of lead occurs during refining, and in refined lead products. Smelting ore (heating it to about 600 degrees F so that the lead melts) generated aerosol free lead. It was a good thing to get tetraethyl lead out of gasoline (if you splashed leaded gas on your arm, a tiny bit usually went into your pores. Not fatal, but not good.) Because refined lead tastes sweet, lead paint chips in older homes were a definite hazard, especially to small kids apt to chew one, find it good, and go look for more. Home interior lead-based paint bad. No one, including me, disagrees with this.

I like to think of myself as a moderate, pragmatic environmentalist. I don’t want to leave the planet any worse off than when I found it. Instead of protesting, and screaming, I find it a whole lot more productive to educate, to pick up trash, to use as little as practical, and recycle as much as I can. I’d much rather bring a load of garbage in off a Meramec float, or dig an oily discarded lawnmower out of a creekbed than donate money to some distant cause. I’d rather support Missouri hunting and fishing than save the whales.

And I just don’t buy the EPA assertion that we can make Missouri lead-free. It’s the geology.

Galena (lead sulfide) the Missouri state mineral

Avoid lead on I-55? You have heard of the smelter at Herculaneum? Smelting started in that town in the late 1780s with John Maclot’s shot tower, and the lead smelting enterprises of Moses Austin, who came from Virginia specifically to mine and smelt lead. The smelter is scheduled to shutter in 2013; by then Doe Run intends to have a cold, chemical process to separate lead from gangue (pronounced “gang”) the host rock for the mineral.

There is no one rock layer which contains lead in the state. It’s in the granite of Elephant Rocks, the rhyolite porphyry of Johnson’s Shut-Ins, the magnetite/hematite deposits of Pilot Knob. You drive through lead containing rock (the Bonne Terre, the Derby-Doerun (where the company got its name), the Elvins Group) every time you drive from Festus to Poplar Bluff on Hwy. 67. Flat RIver, Desloge (named for a mining official), Leadington, Leadwood, Park Hills, Bonne Terre, Fredericktown. It’s all lead country.

Want to avoid lead? Try Hwy. 21. Nope. From De Soto and nearby Valles Mines in southern Jefferson County, through the rich red clay with sparkly bits at Blackwell to Potosi, down south through Caledonia to the Annapolis… there’s lead all around you. Missouri 185 south of Sullivan? Lead country at Silver Hollow (hint: it really wasn’t silver) and Abbeville. Highway 8? From Steelville to Potosi, you run into patches of lead bearing rocks. Get south of Ironton, near Glover and Chloride, and you’re back in lead country.

Highway 19? The rocks are getting younger, and the lead deeper, but Highway 19 from Cuba to Salem serves as a lifeline for the Viburnum Trend…deep mines to be sure, and past their prime, but still producing. Far south 19? For twenty years various lead ventures have tried to get permits mine the Mark Twain.

And it’s not just Traveler Country. Lead Mine Conservation Area is just north of Bennett Spring. There’s a pocket of historical mines and diggins in Miller and Camden counties near Lake Ozark. The first big lead strike in southwest Missouri was at Granby, Emery’s home town, and shortly thereafter followed the big zinc strikes– at first remining the lead tailings, and then extracting the zinc ore deliberately.

And we’ve skipped a lot of places. In short, the only way to make Missouri lead-free is to dig up the entire state down past the granite, and move it elsewhere. Not going to happen.

Does anyone else find it ironic that our state mineral is galena? Mostly, that’s because of the vital impact lead played in the opening of the state. Ste. Genevieve was founded as a Mississippi port for lead, salt and furs. Most of the early plank roads were built to make a good road for oxen hauling lead pigs as collars as the drew wagon filed with the substance.

If you’re interested in the lead mining history of Missouri, there is no better place to learn it than at Missouri Mines State Historic Site, one of the places being “cleaned up” by the EPA order. Imagine if some granite company offered to “clean up” Elephant Rocks.
People would scream. (If you don’t know, that state park was a former granite quarry.) But because “lead” is a four letter word, and people have had “fear of refined lead” pounded deeply into them, they assume the toxicity of lead paint, or leaded gas, or the aerosols of a smelter apply to all lead. They roll over and say, “let the experts handle it.”

Lead (and galena, too) should be respected. It not marshmallows. Some forms of refined lead are indeed very toxic. Find out which ones are worse than others. Still, I think lead paranoia has to stop somewhere. In my mind, it stops with educating people about different forms of lead, their relative toxicity, and bioavailability. No, it’s not good to eat fishing sinkers. A single lead shotgun pellet is more liable break your tooth than poison you, but it’s still good to pick them out of your shot-shell killed game. But there is no point to worry about every galena particle in Southern Missouri soil. Other things will get you first.

I know my position is not popular. Convince me that I’m wrong with some good factual data, and then perhaps, I’ll change my mind. Post here, or email me at jschaper@rhtrav.com and let me know. Have at it, folks, and thanks for listening.

In the denial letter from Stephen A. Owens, Assistant Administrator, the agency said:

“After careful review, EPA has determined you have not demonstrated that the remaining action requested in your petition — a uniform national ban of lead for use in all fishing gear — is necessary to protect against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment, as required by TSCA section 21. The petition also does not demonstrate that the action requested is the least burdensome alternative to adequately protect against the concerns as required by TSCA section 6. Accordingly, EPA is denying your request for a national ban on lead in all fishing gear.

“Your petition does not provide a sufficient justification for why a national ban of lead fishing sinkers and other lead fishing tackle is necessary given the actions being taken to address the concerns identified in the petition. There are an increasing number of limitations on the use of lead in fishing gear on some Federal lands, as well as Federal outreach efforts. A number of state have established regulations that ban or restrict the use of lead sinkers and have created state education and fishing tackle exchange programs over the last decade. The emergence of these programs and activities over the past decade calls into question whether the broad rulemaking requested in your petition would be the least burdensome, adequately protective approach. EPA also notes that the prevalence of non-lead alternatives in the marketplace continues to increase.”

Galena (lead sulfide) the Missouri state mineral

EPA ordered further soil testing at the county’s schools and child care facilities as the next phase of its project to remove and replace lead-contaminated soils at Central Middle School in Park Hills. The work at Central Middle School was part of EPA’s cleanup activity at the Big River Mine Tailings/St. Joe Minerals Corp. Superfund Site, located in Missouri’s Old Lead Belt, where lead mining and milling has occurred for more than a century. The 110-square-mile site is composed of six large areas of mine waste, as well as surrounding residential and recreational areas.

EPA intends to begin the soil removal process as soon as possible, and will work cooperatively with school administrators and child care facility operators to minimize disruptions at their facilities as the work is completed. School vacation schedules and weather conditions may affect the pace of the work. Facilities and schools attended by children less than seven years old will be addressed first.

EPA estimates that the initial phase of removing contaminated soils from the 27 facilities will cost at least $6 million, not including additional costs for contaminated soil disposal and new soil replacement. EPA will pay for the initial costs of removal, but may seek to recover some or all of its total costs if one or more parties responsible for the contamination are properly identified.

The 11 schools designated for contaminated soil removal and clean backfill replacement include:

* North County Parkside Elementary School, 100 North Parkside, Desloge
* North County Intermediate School, 801 Elm Street, Desloge
* North County Primary School, 405 Hillcrest Drive, Bonne Terre
* North County Middle School, 406 East Chestnut, Desloge
* North County Senior High School, 7151 Raider road, Bonne Terre
* Unitec Career Center, 7163 Raider Road, Bonne Terre
* West Elementary School, 403 W. Fite Street, Park Hills
* Central Elementary School, 900 St. Francois Avenue, Park Hills
* Central High School, 116 Rebel Drive, Park Hills
* Special Acres State School, 519 Eighth Street, Park Hills
* St. Joseph School, 20 Saint Joseph Street, Bonne Terre.

The 16 child care centers and Head Starts designated for contaminated soil removal and clean backfill replacement include:

* A To Z Learning Tree, 301 Hillcrest Street, Bonne Terre
* Bonne Terre Head Start, 2 Savannah Drive, Bonne Terre
* Lil Britches Day Care Preschool, 24 Rivermines Drive, Park Hills
* Kidz Connection, 801 N. Desloge Drive, Desloge
* Patches and Pigtails Child Care, 203 Yale Street, Bonne Terre
* Grandma’s House Child Care Center, 204 N. Cantwell Lane, Desloge
* Becky’s Daycare, 535 Cochrane Road, Park Hills
* All Aboard Play and Learn Center, 703 E. Main Street, Park Hills
* Tender Care Day Care Center, 611 Jefferson, Park Hills
* Mid St. Francois County Head Start, 204 10th Street, Park Hills
* Bright Beginnings Child Care Center,10 S. 6th Street, Park Hills
* Start Daycare, 905 Tyler Street, Park Hills
* Scribbles Play and Learn Center, 403 S. School Street, Desloge
* North County Educational Center, 110 Pointview Drive, Bonne Terre
* West County’s Happy Times Day Care, Bismarck
* Children’s Zone LLC, 1109 N. Desloge Drive, Desloge

School administrators and child care facility operators have been informed of the testing results, EPA’s plans for soil removal and replacement, and a series of recommended interim health and safety precautions to protect children from harmful lead exposure while the removal work is proceeding at the facilities.

EPA will host a public meeting to share information and answer questions about the testing results, the soil removal and replacement plan, and health issues associated with lead exposure from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, November 29, at Mineral Area College, North College Center Rooms A and B, 5720 Flat River Road, in Park Hills.

Representatives from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) will be present at the meeting to offer free blood lead screenings. Representatives of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the St. Francois County Health Department will also attend.

In a ruling late last week, the Environmental Protection agency said it did not have the jurisdiction to ban lead ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. Subchapter IV, Lead Exposure Reduction is the general legislation under which lead hazard and lead abatement rules and regulations resulted in the phaseout of leaded gasoline, and lead paint for interior use.

A portion of the petition which would also ban lead fishing sinkers, and other lead-weighted fishing tackle is still under consideration as of Sept. 2.

EPA had been requested by The Center of Biological Diversity, the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Project Gutpile and the American Bird Conservancy to enact such a ban. Lead shot is already controlled in waterfowl hunting. These groups petitioned for a general ban contending that “the lead components of bullets, shotgun pellets, fishing weights and lures pose an unreasonable risk of injury to human and wildlife health and the environment.”

The petition was filed on August 3, according to an AP story filed August 28.

Opinion on both sides of this ruling seems more heated than usual on the Net. What do Traveler readers think?

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EPA Region 7 Water, Wetlands, and Pesticides Division Director Art Spratlin said, “It is
imperative that Missouri take necessary action to protect users of the Mississippi River
from high levels of pathogens and bacteria largely resulting from untreated wastewater.
We’ve found that people engage in recreational activities in this part of the Mississippi
River and downstream, so their health must be protected.”

Following today’s action, Missouri will have the opportunity to review its analyses and
collect additional information to revise its water quality standards and resubmit them to
EPA for approval.

The Mississippi River upstream, downstream, and across the Illinois state line from this
28.6-mile segment near St. Louis is designated for what is referred to as primary contact recreation, also known as whole body contact recreation. In its determination, EPA explained that Missouri has not demonstrated that whole body contact recreation cannot be attained in this portion of the river. The determination also finds that Missouri has not shown that its current standards will protect downstream waters as required by federal regulations.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District is discussing with EPA and the Missouri
Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) plans to address issues with combined sewer
overflows, and today’s action should further help to protect water quality for local
citizens.

MDNR earlier had sought the more protective standard, but the Clean Water Commission
refused to approve that approach. EPA made a determination in December 2008 that portions of the Mississippi River upstream and downstream of St. Louis should also be protected for whole body contact recreation. Missouri recently revised its water quality standards in response to this earlier determination, and EPA anticipates the state will soon be submitting those revisions to EPA for final review.

The funding will enable EPA to proceed with the cleanup of an estimated 800 residential properties at the site over a two-year period, with additional funding to clean up 200 more residential properties in the third year of the contract.

Madison County Mines Superfund Site is located in southeast Missouri near Fredericktown, in the Old Lead Belt where heavy metal mining has occurred since the early 1700s. Past mining operations have left at least 13 major tailings and chat deposits from mineral processing operations within the county. Wind and water erosion has moved the lead-contaminated material to residential surface soils, sediments, groundwater and surface water, posing threats to human health and the environment.
–EPA news release Sept 30, 2009.

In October 2008, the EPA reduced the standard by 90% from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter to 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter.  The Department is required to draw new boundaries for nonattainment designation under the new standard. These and surrounding areas are included in the nonattainment designation if they contribute to or are impacted by a nearby non-complying area.  Nonattainment areas are required to improve their air quality through various control measures.

The Department is hosting the public information session to answer questions from community leaders and interested citizens about the designation process and what it may mean for their community.  The Missouri Air Conservation Commission will also host a public hearing on the matter at its Oct. 29 meeting scheduled to be held in Springfield. Once the public participation process is complete, the Department will forward its recommendation to EPA.

After local residents contacted environmental activist Erin Brockovich (who did not show at two locally scheduled public meetings), Doe Run Company has received an administrative order on July 31 from Region 7 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to modify a 2006 cleanup agreement with the agency, an agreement which specifically addresses the cleanup at Leadwood.

Doe Run is currently cleaning up six tailings piles/waste sites in St. Francois County. Nearly all of these sites predate the company, which acquired responsibility for the cleanup along with the property. The most recent complaint was that the cleanup was proceeding too slowly, and was being done with improper methods.

Long popular as all-terrain vehicle destinations, the company acknowledges that enforcing trespass laws on the sites is difficult. Included in the order are new directives on proper use of biosolids to remediate the site, biosolids and material hauling, and public trespassing. The timetable for completion of the remediation has also been moved up.

According to an article in the August 1 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Doe Run officials attribute the slowdown in remediation rate to the current weak economy and subsequent work force cuts.