i second everything Slamfire said.
In 1968 the EPA tightened air quality standards for lead. The Doe Run company made the decision to close their plant. The company has other primary lead smelters overseas, probably in China.
Years ago the company raised the height of the smokestack. That had the effect of spreading lead pollution over a much wider area.
In the late 1980s my SIL worked for an environmental remediation company that cleaned up part of that plant. There were four inches of lead dust on parts of the roof.
Quote:
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Decades ago, the smelter filled the air of the company town with particulate matter so heavy, it sometimes made it impossible to see even across the street.
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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...1921ea038.html
Quote:
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The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that St. Louis-based Doe Run -- North America's largest lead producer -- has agreed to spend approximately $65 million to correct violations of environmental laws at ten of its lead mining, milling and smelting facilities in Missouri. The settlement also requires the company to pay a $7 million civil penalty.
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http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dai...d_millions.php
The settlement:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resour...mm/doerun.html