Herculaneum residents waiting for Superfund status

HERCULANEUM, Mo. -- Even as worried families in this 2,800-resident community learn how to get a temporary move, many wonder what it will take for the federal government to go a step further and buy their property tainted by the nation's largest lead smelter.

Such buyouts could become a reality if the Environmental Protection Agency agrees to put Herculaneum on the Superfund national priority list. That status, reserved for public health emergencies, is what House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt and Gov. Bob Holden have requested.

For now, the agency has agreed to pay for the temporary relocation of families wanting to live somewhere else during the four to six months their yards and homes are cleaned of lead blamed on the nearby Doe Run Co. smelter.

The EPA held a meeting Tuesday night to explain the relocation plan, but questions from the audience of about 400 people quickly made it clear that many here want more than a temporary move.

Melissa Alexander, whose son is too old to qualify her family for relocation -- the maximum age is 6 years old -- stepped from the gymnasium bleachers to ask a question, then took the podium and delivered a prepared speech.

"The sulfur coming from the plant is so strong you taste it in your mouth," she said. "It tastes like sucking on a book of matches every day."

Alexander said she can see Doe Run workers at the smelter across the street from her home wearing respirators, "but my son riding his bike right outside has nothing to keep him safe and keep him from breathing the chemicals."

Alexander drew raucous applause.

Lead poisoning is known to damage mental development in children and has been linked to other health problems. Many Herculaneum residents complain of unexplained illnesses and elevated blood levels in their children. They are asked to take such unusual precautions as washing down swing sets before children play outside, and leaving shoes on the doorstep.

EPA officials say the situation in Herculaneum, about 30 miles south of St. Louis, is bad enough to warrant Superfund status. But they also say that Doe Run's cooperation could make that status unnecessary.

Gephardt, a Missouri Democrat, has suggested that Doe Run should shut down the nation's largest lead smelter, with 250 workers, if the company fails to reduce its air pollution. Doe Run must have more emission controls in place by July.

But a shutdown of the 110-year-old smelter should only be a last resort, Gephardt spokeswoman Adella Jones said.

"If you create a safe environment, then that wouldn't be a result," Jones said earlier Tuesday. "And you have a couple of options along the way that lead us to a good cleanup."

Doe Run officials say they will meet the EPA's emissions and cleanup deadlines. EPA officials say that cooperation is considered when deciding whether to propose a site for the Superfund list.

"We think the actions they're taking will result in the site reaching a favorable conclusion," said Gene Gunn of the EPA's regional office.

The Superfund allows the EPA to take more extreme and expensive measures -- including buying property -- to protect human health and the environment. There are more than 1,200 cleanup sites on the list nationwide, but it takes a severe situation to warrant that status.

The EPA already has done a preliminary assessment of the Herculaneum site, and it scored above the minimum needed to qualify for Superfund. Approval from the governor also is needed, something the EPA already has. The next step would be to send the proposal to EPA headquarters in Washington, which would make sure the tests were complete and accurate. After a 60-day public comment period, the EPA would make its final decision.