News Releases from Region 07

EPA’s Southwest Jefferson County Mining NPL Superfund Site Experts Available During Open House at County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro, Missouri, on Jan. 23

Contact Information: Elizabeth Kramer (kramer.elizabeth@epa.gov) 913-551-7186

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Highlights:

EPA offering free residential yard testing and cleanup for lead contamination at eligible properties

EPA to provide community with latest information about the Southwest Jefferson County Mining NPL Superfund Site

(Lenexa, Kan., Jan. 21, 2020) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will host an Open House for the Southwest Jefferson County Mining National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund Site in Hillsboro, Missouri, on Jan. 23. An EPA team will provide community members an update on the site, as well as details on how people can sign up for free lead contamination testing and residential yard cleanup for eligible properties.

The Open House will be held:

Date: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020

Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Location: Hillsboro Community Civic Center (Jefferson County Fairgrounds), 10349 Highway 21, Hillsboro, MO 63050

Starting at 6:30 p.m., EPA and partner agency representatives will meet with residents at informational tables in an open house format. At 7:00 p.m., EPA will provide a 30-minute presentation before returning to the informational tables to answer questions through 8:30 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend any part of the two-hour session.

Historical mining activities in the county and Old Lead Belt in southeastern Missouri released hazardous heavy metals, including lead and cadmium, which contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment, including in stream sediment along the Big River and in floodplain soil within the Big River watershed.

Lead exposure can cause a range of adverse health effects, from behavioral disorders and learning disabilities to seizures, putting young children at the greatest risk because their nervous systems are still developing. Children 7 years old and younger are most at risk from developing health effects from exposure to lead.

It is important that children 7 years old and younger have their blood lead level tested annually. Talk to your child’s doctor or the Jefferson County Health Department to arrange for blood lead testing/screening.

Approximately half a million U.S. children ages 1 to 5 have blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter. This is the reference level at which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends public health actions be initiated. No safe blood lead level in children has been identified.

EPA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. For reasonable accommodations at the Open House, please contact Jonathan Cooper at 1-800-223-0425 or by email at cooper.jonathan@epa.gov.

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