Soil, Water, and Plant Toxicity From the Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter

The Iron King Mine and Humboldt Smelter

Mining near Humboldt, Arizona began in the mid 1800’s.  The Iron King Mine operated from 1904 until 1969 and produced a huge pile of waste rock and tailings.  The Humboldt smelter was active from the late 1800’s until the early 1960’s.  Like the mine, it produced a large pile of tailings.

The EPA conducted testing near the two sites and determined that there was a health risk for people, animals, and plants.  Some cleanup took place in 2006, and the two sites were placed on the National Priority List in 2008 (http://1.usa.gov/13HtsMe).

After the Super Fund Site designation, I asked to be included in the preliminary testing for toxic materials in soil and water.  The EPA representative told me that there was no need to do testing around my home.  My house is about 1 1/4 miles East-Northeast of the main tailings pile.  At the time, I supposed that the scientists involved considered my home to be a safe distance from the tailings.  According to the 1500+ page Remedial Investigation Report of 2010 (http://1.usa.gov/13HtsMe), no samples were taken more than about a mile from the Sites. Continue reading →