Toxic Traces of Lead Mining in Missouri Are Hard to Erase

To see the toxic legacy of lead mining in the US and understand the complicated task of cleaning it up, all one has to do is look at Richard Rankin’s backyard in Missouri.

The septic system of his home in Fenton was filled in more than 20 years ago with lead-contaminated soil from a site near a smelter, later threatening the son he adopted in 2014. His son, who was repeatedly tested for elevated lead levels in his blood, couldn’t play in the backyard and Rankin couldn’t sell the home until it was cleaned up.

But the Environmental Protection Agency didn’t start ...