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Sunday, August 27, 2000
ASARCO cleanup analyzed
Procedures used by firm may not have been enough
By Darren Barbee
Caller-Times
State officials on Monday will review whether ASARCO Inc. did enough to rid the Dona Park and Manchester Place neighborhoods of dangerous heavy metals, according to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.
In 1994, traces of arsenic, lead, cadmium, zinc and other heavy metals were found in the soil in those neighborhoods. ASARCO - the American Smelting and Refining Company of America - ran a zinc-refining plant in the area. The plant is no longer in operation.
Last April, the TNRCC signed a consent agreement with ASARCO/Encycle for environmental violations. The settlement required ASARCO to pay Texas $2 million and do $15 million in environmental cleanup.
ASARCO has notified the TNRCC that the cleanup was completed.
But enough of the metals may have been left behind to constitute long-term problems for residents, said Buddy Stanley, regional director of the TNRCC. Some tests showed that heavy metals, including lead, were at higher levels than federal standards allow.
"We've got some concerns about that," Stanley said. "It's not an imminent threat. We just want to make sure that there was nothing overlooked."
Lead can cause nausea and fatigue and is especially dangerous to children, who have shown decreased intelligence as a result of exposure. Cadmium is a carcinogen. The effects of long-term exposure to high levels of zinc are unknown.
State officials will also question whether ASARCO's follow-up analysis of the cleanup was adequately performed, Stanley said. Some soil samples may not have been taken directly near homes that have lead-based paint, Stanley said.
TNRCC officials in Corpus Christi will discuss the company's sampling data Monday via a telephone conference with an Austin toxicologist.
"We'll be looking at the sampling data, the numbers, where the samples were taken and consult with our toxicologists," he said. "Then we'll decide if additional work needs to be done."
That might include additional testing, another round of remediation or an end to the case, Stanley said.
State soil tests in 1994 showed the heaviest concentrations of lead in homes nearest the refinery.
In 1994, property owners in those areas sued ASARCO Inc. and its subsidiary, Encycle/Texas Inc. That case, in which residents accused the company of releasing hazardous and toxic substances from the plant, is ongoing.
In 1994, the TNRCC required ASARCO to clean up 15 residential properties identified as contaminated. Dona Park residents have said more properties are contaminated and need to be cleaned.
But in January, Dona Park and Manchester Place residents lost one legal challenge against the company.
The residents had asked a Travis County judge to overturn the $15 million settlement between the TNRCC and ASARCO because it didn't address residential property needs.
Staff writer Darren Barbee can be reached at 886-3764 or by e-mail at barbeed@caller.com
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