Meramec Caverns reopens after vapors cleared

STANTON, Mo. — One of Missouri’s most popular tourist attractions is scheduled to reopen after being closed for about three months because of potentially harmful vapors.

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that Meramec Caverns in Franklin County could reopen Friday. The caverns 60 miles southwest of St. Louis were closed in April after tests found high levels of trichloroethylene, or TCE, vapors in the caves. TCE is considered a possible carcinogen.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the EPA said the vapors probably came from a former auto parts factory and a landfill more than 4 miles away in Sullivan.

Meramec Caverns laid off about half of its 100 employees after the closure but is hiring many of them back.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com