What Happened
For 26 years, Local Environmental Action Demanded Agency (LEAD Agency) has convened a conference focused on protecting communities from the toxic aftermath of the Tri-State Mining District (District) around Joplin, Missouri, and extending into Kansas, and Oklahoma. The mines began operation around the Civil War, continuing until well into the 1900s. The mines were one of the richest lead and zinc ore-producing deposits in the world, serving as a critical source of the metals to support World War I and II. The operations left behind hundreds of massive piles of lead-contaminated mine residue called “chat” that was shared with the neighboring communities, often as fill material for roads, driveways, and homes.
For decades, EPA and the states have had Superfund cleanups underway in the District. They go by the names of Tar Creek in Oklahoma, Cherokee County in Kansas, Oronogo Duenweg Mining Belt, and Newtown County Mine Tailings in Missouri. Significant progress has been made but much more work remains. To make sure they are on track and effective, EPA conducts the cleanups pursuant to Record of Decisions (RODs) that are reviewed every five years and updated as necessary.
In 2021, Congress boosted Superfund cleanup efforts across the country when it provided $3.5 billion as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. EPA has used some of those funds to support the District’s four cleanups.
In October, Unleaded Kids’ Tom Neltner attended LEAD Agency’s conference at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Oklahoma, to learn about the impacted communities and to share his perspective on lead and EPA’s January update to its guidance for cleanup of lead-contaminated residential soil. EPA has indicated that it would address the guidance in the upcoming five-year reviews for the four District cleanups.
The conference was inspiring! Neltner was able to attend the middle day of the conference, and he was impressed by the wide range of topics covered—from scientific to cultural to procedural—with substantial discussions among the 80 participants that included impacted residents and tribes, college students, academics, advocates, and government representatives. Topics included blood lead levels in birds, spread of fine dust from chat piles, ecological restoration progress, impacts of flooding on the spread of chat, and progress on the cleanup (by EPA and Oklahoma officials), along with storytelling, making art, and singing.
Based on the experience, Unleaded Kids and the National Center for Healthy Housing provided EPA with recommendations as they conduct the Tar Creek five-year review in 2025. The six prior reviews did not significantly alter the 1997 ROD for residential sites, but with the new guidance, greater changes to better protect public health are likely. We had five specific recommendations:
- Update soil cleanup standards and plans based on EPA’s new guidance.
- Evaluate deteriorated ductwork that is under concrete slab floors of homes that have been corroded by chat.
- Address impacts of flooding and soil erosion from extreme weather events that disturb soil and chat.
- Better protect workers disturbing chat from lead exposure in order to reduce harm to their cardiovascular systems.
- Coordinate review with related cleanups in southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri for consistency.
Why it Matters
Lead is one of the most common contaminants at cleanup sites across the country, not just from lead mines and smelters, but from industrial operations that process or recycle products that contain lead. It is one of a handful of chemicals that has an EPA Superfund webpage dedicated to the issue.
These cleanup sites are often in residential neighborhoods with low-income communities that struggle with other sources of lead and other environmental hazards. It is common enough that HUD and EPA had a memorandum of understanding to improve communications when HUD-assisted housing are impacted by Superfund sites.
Our Take
One of the exciting aspects of working for Unleaded Kids is the opportunity to visit communities impacted by lead and help in drawing attention and support to those groups that are making a difference in the real world. It was an honor for Neltner to go to Tar Creek and see LEAD Agency, Rebecca Jim, and her team in action.
For decades, LEAD Agency has been constructively pressing EPA, the state, and its contractors regarding the cleanup. They help stakeholders stay engaged in a process that can be overwhelming. They also engaged scientists to assess the risks, connecting them to the communities. For example, Dan Brabander at Wellesley College in Massachusetts regularly has his students make an annual trip to the community.
Finally, it is one thing to hear about the damage done by the mines and the massive cleanups underway. It took a visit to appreciate the vast scale of the sites with miles of chat piles and abandoned neighborhoods.
Next Steps
With LEAD Agency’s guidance, Unleaded Kids will strive to be a supportive advisor in the five-year review of the Tar Creek ROD. And we will share the results with other communities impacted by lead.