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Sunland Park Lead Study Sees Little Risk

Posted on: Friday, 12 August 2005, 21:00 CDT

Aug. 12--Residents of Sunland Park do not have an especially high risk of being exposed to lead, according to results from two state health department studies released Thursday.

The studies were prompted by residents' concerns that the city had higher-than-average levels of lead because of a copper smelter that once operated in the area.

In one study, a contracted researcher collected 112 soil samples from residential, public and open space sites around Sunland Park. Ten of the 40 samples collected from open spaces in the city had lead levels greater than federal Environmental Protection Agency standards. Two of the 63 samples collected from residential properties had lead levels greater than EPA standards.

Tom Ruiz, environmental epidemiologist with the New Mexico Department of Health, said the 10 high-lead samples from open spaces don't pose much of a health threat. Lead in soil becomes an issue when people ingest it or inhale it, which is more likely near a residence, he said.

"Those are open spaces," Ruiz said. "If it's not residential, it's not as much of a concern." Half of the samples with high lead in open spaces were taken from the Mount Cristo Rey area; the highest lead values were found near where the Texas, New Mexico and Mexico borders meet. Ruiz said this is similar to a 2002 EPA study, which also found high levels of lead near the mountain.

Ruiz said the high levels could be attributable to industry in the border region, but the health department isn't able to pinpoint the cause.

"There are several possibilities," he said. "We don't know for sure." Daniel Mendez, 23, of Sunland Park, said he has often wondered whether the Asarco copper smelter, located in El Paso across the Rio Grande from Sunland Park, left contamination in the area. The smelter has been shut down since 1999.

After being told of the study results, Mendez said he's unsure whether they actually indicate the Sunland Park area is free from lead contamination.

"It ... depends on how close to the Asarco plant those samples were," he said. "Because Asarco is so close to us, they should consider testing more areas around that radius." He said he has lived in the area for 10 years, and though he doesn't have plans to stay long, he wants his family to be safe.

"I think there's a possible threat ... ," he said. "If there is, they should find it. If there's no threat, then it's all good." In a second study, the health department and La Clinica de Familia tested 18 Sunland Park children under age 18 who attended a screening clinic on June 25. None of the children had high levels of lead in their bodies, according to lab results.

Dan Reyna, director of the New Mexico Office of Border Health, said the studies are useful because they give evidence that no widespread lead contamination exists.

"I think the interest is in knowing ... instead of people from the outside speculating," he said. "There's not much indication that there's a problem." The health department is continuing to recruit volunteers for a third study, in which Sunland Park residents and their tap water will be tested for lead and other metals.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M.

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Source: Las Cruces Sun-News

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