Lead

A company called Nexgen Silica hopes to build a mine in St. Genevieve County. Residents who live with the toxic legacy of lead mining worry history could be repeating itself.

Efforts to eliminate lead in school drinking water got a huge boost on Friday, as Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed off on legislation requiring testing and also gave his approval to $27 million in federal funds to help schools install filters.

Water utilities have never been required to thoroughly inventory lead pipes except in a crisis. Health experts warn problems with these “underground poisonous straws” can arise out of the blue.

The lead industry characterized lead poisoning as a problem of poor people and minorities to protect its sales during the 20th century.

A provision that would limit the amount of lead allowed in school drinking water to five parts per billion has been tacked onto an education bill.

Missouri would stand apart from Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska by requiring testing and remediation.

President Joe Biden has proposed additional money for superfund cleanups, which could speed progress at contaminated sites.

The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates there are at least 330,000 lead pipes funneling tap water into Missouri homes and other buildings — the sixth-highest of any state in the nation.

Public records obtained by researchers at Virginia Tech show the city of Quincy changed its water treatment processes in the months leading up to the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, which may have allowed Legionella bacteria to multiply throughout the water system.

Updated 9:40 a.m. with a statement from city officials. The St. Louis NAACP is considering a federal civil rights lawsuit to force St. Louis officials to…