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Region 7	Fact Sheet

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^ prcj^0 Nebraska	October 2008

EPA Announces Public Meeting

Southwest Jefferson County Mining Superfund Site, Jefferson County, Missouri

INTRODUCTION

EPA Region 7 is hosting a public meeting
on Tuesday, October 21, 2008, at Amvets
Post 48 in DeSoto, Missouri. The
purpose of the meeting is to update the
local community about the Southwest
Jefferson County Mining Superfund Site.
During the meeting, representatives from
the EPA, the Missouri Department of
Natural Resources (MDNR) and the
Jefferson County Health Department will
be available to answer questions from the
public.

SITE BACKGROUND

Jefferson County is part of Missouri's Old
Lead Belt, where lead mining occurred for
several hundred years. The primary
environmental concern at this site is lead

eontamination-in-residential-soils-and	

private water wells.

EPA has collected samples from 1,011
properties located within the site. To
date, 211 properties have been identified
with lead-contaminated soil above 1,200
parts per million (ppm). At this level, EPA
prioritizes properties for cleanup as time-
critical removals. EPA has also identified
137 properties with lead-contaminated
soil in the range of 400 ppm to 1,199
ppm. These properties will be addressed

EPA PUBLIC MEETING

You are invited to attend a public meeting
to learn more about the Southwest
Jefferson County Mining Site. The
meeting is scheduled:

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Amvets Post 48
1075 Amvets Drive
De Soto, Missouri

after the time-critical removals are
completed. EPA has collected water
samples from 517 private water wells in
the site. EPA offers bottled water to any
site resident whose drinking water

exceeds-!5-parts per billion (ppb) for	

lead, 5 ppb for cadmium or 10 ppb for
arsenic. To date, 41 private water wells
have been identified with contamination
above drinking water standards for lead,
cadmium or arsenic. Of these 41
residences, 30 have agreed to accept
bottled water from EPA.

HEALTH INFORMATION

Lead is a toxic metal that is harmful if
inhaled or swallowed. Children are more

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Superfund


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sensitive to lead than adults and can
develop lifelong learning disabilities and
behavior problems from lead exposure.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers
should also avoid exposure to lead to
protect their children.

Lead poisoning can cause these health
effects in infants and young children:

|	Slowed physical growth;:

|	Hearing problems;

I	: Nervous system damage;

j	Learning difficulties;

I	Hyperactivity; and

J	Decreased intelligence.

Lead' exposure and its effects can be
reduced by:

| Washing hands after playing

outside and before meals;
I ¦ Vacuuming often and dusting with
a damp cloth to help remove dust
that might have lead in it; and
] Eating a diet high in calcium and
iron and low in fat.

BLOOD LEAD TESTING

The only way to know if your child has
elevated blood lead levels'is to have his
or her blood tested. EPA encourages
parents to have their children tested for
lead exposure:. FREE blood lead testing
will be available at the October 21st
meeting. These will be finger-stick tests.
You will know the results of the test the
same evening.

ADM INISTRATIVE RECORD

administrative record may be reviewed
during normal business hours at the
following locations:

EPA Region 7
901 North 5th Street
Kansas City, Kan.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If you have questions or need additional
information, please contact:

Dianna Whiitaker
Community Involvement Coordinator
EPA Region 7
901 North 51:h Street
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
913-551 -7598, Toll-free 1-800-223-0425
E-mail: whitake r.dianna@epa.gov

Jim Silver
On-Scene Coord inator
EPA Site Office
: 13291 State Road CC
De Soto. Missouri 63020
636-586-8406
E-mail: .silver.iim@epa.gov

De Soto Public Library
712 South Main Street
De Soto, Mo;

EPA has compiled the administrative
record for the site. The administrative
record contains reports such as the
approved Action Memorandum, the


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