By SHERRY DEVLIN of the Missoulian
Crushed rock and soil washed downstream - and in some cases
hauled to town - from the Iron Mountain Mine and Mill
have polluted parts of the Flat Creek drainage and the town
of Superior with high levels of arsenic and lead, Mineral
County's environmental health officer said Friday.
Wayne Marchwick said all children who live or have lived
in the Flat Creek area north of Superior should be tested for
lead
and arsenic exposure, which can cause a long list of health
effects including cancer of the skin, kidneys, liver and lungs,
learning problems and stunted growth.
Some high school athletes also may be tested, if their parents
approve, as the waste rock was used for the surface of the
running track at Superior High School.
However, Marchwick said he does not believe the mine tailings
pose an imminent threat to Superior and Flat Creek residents,
as long as they take preventive measures to reduce any exposure
to the contamination - damp dusting the inside of homes or
cars that may be polluted with dirt and dust from the abandoned
mine.
"It's not the water, it's not the air, it's the dust
that comes from the tailings," Marchwick said. "I feel
that as long as people
take the preventive measures, no further exposure will take
place. The soil is the problem."
On Wednesday, Marchwick will brief the Mineral County Board
of Health on the contamination, which was discovered by
accident, and will ask for permission to post warning signs
at the mine and mill site 4? miles up Flat Creek.
This is what he'll say:
The Iron Mountain Mine and Mill opened in 1909, pulling mostly
silver but also some zinc from the rock. The mining
brought arsenic and lead to the surface and concentrated it
in the soil as tailings and waste rock.
Both arsenic and lead occur naturally in the environment, often in combination with one another and with iron and cadmium.
Ore was mined and milled at Iron Mountain from 1909 to 1930,
than again from 1947 to 1953. The waste rock was piled
alongside Flat Creek. Over the years, the majority of the tailings
washed downstream into the Flat Creek floodplain, or were
carried to town for use as road beds, parking lots and the high
school track.
Because no one knew the soil was dangerous, there are no records of where and when it was used.
Marchwick, Mineral County's environmental health officer
since 1997, said the pollution only came to light because of
flooding, and then repairs, that followed several large wildfires
in the forests north of Superior during the summer of 2000.
Heavy rains wiped out several culverts on Forest Service
roads; during repairs, government crews took soil samples from
Flat Creek. The tests showed high levels of arsenic and lead,
and prompted a second, wider set of tests in October 2001.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ran about 20 samples
from the Flat Creek area and the old mine site, as well as
samples from three sites in Superior where people remembered
using tailings - at the running track, a Forest Service
driveway and on a street in town.
"Everywhere they took samples of the soil, they found
elevated levels of arsenic and lead," Marchwick said. Water
samples
did not show high levels of metals.
Samples of waste rock and soil taken at the mill site contained
up to 40,000 parts per million arsenic and up to 55,000 parts
per million lead, according to Marchwick. Levels at the high
school track were considerably lower, but still of concern -
about 1,500 ppm arsenic and from 562 ppm to 6,820 ppm lead.
Marchwick said he's not yet sure what would be considered
a safe level of lead and arsenic, "but it would be considerably
less than what we found." For example, residential yards
polluted by a smelter in East Helena are being replaced if tests
show more than 1,000 ppm lead, he said.
"We were really just asked to collect some more information
on the creek, but decided to get a little bit of information in
town as well, not really suspecting anything," said Bob
Fox, chief of the EPA's Superfund branch in Helena. "You
just never
know what you'll find."
Now the EPA's emergency response program has appointed an
on-site coordinator and will collect still more soil samples
this spring, Fox said. The mine's owner, ASARCO, has been notified
by mail, but has not yet been involved.
"Our concern, basically, is that waste rock from the
mine was brought into the town," said Nguyen Tien, the on-site
coordinator and an employee of the EPA's Denver office. "We
need to know how much of the rock is spread around town."
Nguyen will, in the weeks ahead, send a letter to all residents
of Superior and the Flat Creek drainage, asking if they believe
any of the waste rock is in their yards. Did they ever bring
any of the rock or soil to town? Then he'll plan a new round of
sampling, then decide how much soil removal is needed.
The good news, Marchwick said, is that the town of Superior
is built on Glacial Lake Missoula sediments, which are not
polluted. The Flat Creek drainage and Iron Mountain Mine sit
on a different geologic formation.
Thus Marchwick's "strong recommendation" that all
children who live or have lived along Flat Creek be tested for
lead and
arsenic exposure. Blood and urine tests also are being offered
for adults who live in the drainage, he said. Residents may go
either to the Mineral County Health Department or to their private
doctor.
About 13 people live in lower Flat Creek, Marchwick said. One family lives in upper Flat Creek.
The test for lead exposure is done by drawing blood from
the finger. A urine sample will show if a person has been exposed
to arsenic in the past week. A fingernail or hair sample is
needed to detect long-term exposure to arsenic.
(To take advantage of Mineral County's offer of free testing
for lead or arsenic exposure, call 822-3564 or visit the Health
Department office in the basement of Tamarack Medical Clinic,
next door to Mineral County Hospital. Or call the county's
environmental health office at 822-3525, located in the Mineral
County Courthouse, 300 River St.)
Marchwick said a county health nurse will contact parents
of high school students who may have come into contact with the
running track. Parents may also request tests of elementary-age
children who may have crossed the track en route to school.
Arsenic and lead enter the human body by ingestion - eating
food contaminated with dust, eating food with dirty hands, or
putting contaminated hands or objects in contact with the mouth
- or by breathing contaminated dust.
"Clothing or shoes that are dirtied with contaminated
soil and then worn into the house may also spread the contaminants,"
Marchwick said. "Children who play on the floor are at
higher risk of breathing in the dust or getting the contaminants
into
their mouths."
Many factors determine whether the exposure will cause any
harmful effects, he said, including the amount of exposure, the
duration, the age of the person (children are most at risk),
and pre-existing problems such as asthma, smoking, kidney
disease and abnormal liver function.
Short-term exposure to arsenic-contaminated soils can irritate
the lungs or cause a sore throat, cause nausea, diarrhea and
vomiting, decrease the production of red and white blood cells
or cause an abnormal heart rhythm, cause redness or swelling
of skin that comes in contact with the soil, or damage skin
tissues or nerves.
Long-term exposure to arsenic-contaminated soils can cause
darkening of the skin or the appearance of small corns or warts
on the palms of the hands or feet. Arsenic is also a human carcinogen
and is known to cause cancer of the skin, bladder,
kidneys, liver and lungs, Marchwick said.
"Lead can affect almost every system and organ in the
human body," he added, "with the most sensitive being
the central
nervous system, especially in children under the age of 7. Significant
exposure can cause learning difficulties and stunted
growth in children. At high levels, lead exposure may decrease
reaction time and possibly affect memory. It may also cause
weakness in the fingers, wrists or ankles, and can damage kidneys
and the reproductive system."
Marchwick emphasized, though, that preventive measures can
reduce residents' exposure to any contaminated soils while the
EPA assesses the seriousness and extent of the contamination.
Anyone spending time in the Flat Creek drainage or in areas known to have elevated levels of arsenic and lead should:
Take off their shoes before entering a home or building so contaminated soil and dust is not tracked inside.
Remove soiled clothing and wash it separately.
Wash their hands after handling objects, dirt or soil, especially before cooking or eating food.
Wash children's faces and hands after they play outdoors.
Use a damp mop and cloth when cleaning to reduce contact
with contaminated dust - if they believe contaminated dust is
in
the house. Shampoo carpets with detergent and water.
Avoid unnecessary exposure to areas where contaminated
soils have been found. (The high school track is closed to all
use.)
Anyone who must disturb the contaminated soil should wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, shoes and gloves.
If the contaminated soil must be disturbed, spray the site with water to decrease the amount of dust that's created.
A car or truck may become contaminated with dirt and dust.
Damp dust the inside of the vehicle and shampoo the carpet
with detergent and water.
Anyone who needs help or has questions should contact Marchwick
at 822-3525. Anyone with questions about plans for
future soil sampling should contact Rosemary Rowe, site assessment
manager at the EPA in Helena, 406-457-5020.
Reporter Sherry Devlin can be reached at 523-5268 or at
sdevlin@missoulian.com.