Both the state of Missouri and the Doe Run Company operate air monitoring sites for lead on Sherman Street. These stations and several others track concentration of airborne lead near Doe Run's facility in Herculaneum. Doe Run shut down its primary lead smelter in Herculaneum in 2013; it now has a refinery and strip mill in Herculaneum as well as alloying and casting operations. The state and industrial air monitors track exposure of a portion of the population to airborne lead, and they will help determine whether the area is in compliance with the lead standard, especially now that the Herculaneum primary smelter no longer is running.
Pollutants
Lead
The primary and secondary ambient air standards for lead have remained at 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter since 2008. The primary standard reflects EPA's concern for public health while the second standard demonstrates concern for public welfare. EPA bases the standard on the highest rolling three-month average over a period of three years and two months. A monitoring site meets the standard when this rolling three-month average is less than or equal to 0.15 μg/m3.
Departmental information about lead
- Health effects
- Missouri's lead legacy
- 2008 standard and pertinent documents
- Three-month average lead concentrations for the most recent 12 months
- State map with monitors for lead in ambient air
Technical issues can affect ability to deliver quality data. Access a table of symbols with explanation of the problems they represent.
460 Sherman St.
Herculaneum, MO 63048
United States
Air Pollution Control Program
Division of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
United States