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EPA gathers more soil samples in NW MissouriCAMERON, Mo. (AP)--The Environmental Protection Agency has collected more soil samples as part of an ongoing investigation into a potential link between soil contamination and health problems in northwest Missouri. The EPA collected soil samples March 4 from a soccer complex in Cameron that was once the site of a rail spur used by the former Rockwool Industries plant. Other samples were taken from yards in an adjacent subdivision, said Doug Ferguson, a regional on-scene coordinator for the EPA's Superfund hazardous waste cleanup program. When Rockwool Industries used the rail spur several decades ago, trucks would retrieve lead ore and other material stockpiled on the ground by rail cars. The products would be taken to plant a mile away for processing. An anonymous tip led to the sampling of a 500-by-300-foot area of the soccer complex, Ferguson told the St. Joseph News-Press. It will take 30 to 45 days for a federal lab in Kansas City, Kan., to test and analyze the samples. The agency is trying to determine whether the soil is contaminated by lead and iron and chemicals such as chromium. Federal and state investigations began after concerns were raised that residents in four northwest Missouri counties had an abnormally high number of health problems, including brain tumors. Last year, the EPA announced that high lead and arsenic levels at the Rockwool plant did not pose a general public health risk. The focus of the investigations has been hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen also called chromium 6. Trace amounts of the chemical were found in fertilizer sludge that a St. Joseph tannery distributed for use on area farmland for decades. The current and former owners of the tannery, National Beef Leathers and Prime Tanning Corp., have been sued over the distribution of the sludge. The lawsuits contend land in Andrew, Buchanan, DeKalb and Clinton counties has been contaminated by the sludge. Other lawsuits contend the sludge contributed to health problems in the area. But state health officials have said the chemical levels were not high enough to threaten human health. National Beef Leathers told Clinton County officials this week that the tannery is scheduled to undergo an estimated $20 million renovation, with construction to start April 1. However, the tannery operations that involve hexavalent chromium will not be part of the renovations, according to court documents. National Beef officials said the project is necessary to keep the plant in business. The work will include demolition of certain portions of the main physical plant. Attorneys for plaintiffs in the lawsuits said in court documents they had no problem with the project's initial phase.
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