Federal report says heavy metals no risk to tourists

December 2004

U.S. Water News Online

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Heavy metals pollution in the Coeur d'Alene River Basin poses little risk to tourists, but some residents living in the Superfund site may face higher exposures, according to a new report.

The report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry studied the 3,700-square-mile basin from the Idaho-Montana border to the confluence of the Spokane and Columbia rivers in Washington. It generally found the effects of decades of pollution were declining.

The study concluded there were health concerns for people living east of Lake Coeur d'Alene because of lead-contaminated soil, household dust and fish. Some children who live in this area also had elevated blood lead levels.

"Homes with young children, children who cognitive deficits/disabilities, or women of child-rearing age are of most concern," said the study.

There was no apparent public health hazard for people living west of Lake Coeur d'Alene, the study found.

People who play on the sparkling lake face no apparent health hazards from heavy metals, the study said.

The Bunker Hill mine and smelting complex in Kellogg, Idaho, and the surrounding region were added to the Superfund list in 1983, and have been the subject of extensive studies. The new report did not look at the 21-square-mile site in Kellogg that had the worst pollution and the most extensive cleanup work.

Instead, it examined heavy metals pollution, primarily lead, cadmium and arsenic, in the broader area.

It studied Lake Coeur d'Alene, which has hundreds of thousands of recreation users each year, plus the new Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes biking trail from the lake to the town of Mullan, Idaho. It also studied the source of the Spokane River, at the lake, to where it spills into the Columbia west of Spokane.

The Silver Valley of northern Idaho, along Interstate 90, has been one of the world's major silver producers for decades, and underground mining produced huge piles of tailings contaminated with heavy metals in the region.

The findings:

  • Contaminated surface soil and household dust were the greatest health concern. Many of the tests of residential soil and household dust showed lead levels higher than the Environmental Protection Agency's standard of 400 parts per million. The highest contamination was in nonresidential soils near mining sites and areas that are often flooded by the river, including public beaches, parks and campgrounds.

     

  • Most drinking water from regulated public and private sources appeared safe. People who get their water from ponds or other unregulated waters should have their water tested.

     

  • Surface water contamination varies by area, but appears to have dropped significantly in the past three decades. However, sediments along waterways contain significant heavy metals pollution.

     

  • Traces of metals are found in many species of fish. In 2003, the agency and the Idaho Division of Health released a public notice limiting how much fish people should eat from the lake.

     

  • Traces of metals were found in many plants and animals, although not a threat to humans.

     

  • Ingestion of surface soils and household dusts is the most likely way for people to be exposed to metals contamination.

     

  • Some area children who were in a screening program showed blood lead levels over 10 micrograms per deciliter, which is the level of concern. The agency said other children in the region who have not been tested may also have high lead levels.

The study recommended that contaminated soil continue to be removed from residential areas, that the blood lead levels of children continue to be monitored and that warnings to limit consumption of fish from the lake remain.

People who eat an average of 540 grams -- about 1.2 pounds -- or more of fish per day, are exposed to heavy metals from other sources and already have elevated blood lead levels are at greatest risk, the report found.


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