Contaminated Residential Property in Caney, Montgomery County, Kansas - Information Sheet, December 2018
In the small town of Caney, Kansas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) have successfully completed the cleanup of 309 lead-contaminated residential yards. This cleanup, which took place from November 2016 to September 2018, was necessary due to lead contamination in residential yards, a problem that has its roots in local smelting operations dating back over a century.
Lead, a toxic metal, is harmful if inhaled or swallowed, and children are particularly susceptible to its effects. Their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults, and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Exposure to even low levels of lead can severely harm children, and those 7 years old and younger are most at risk from developing health effects from exposure.
The contamination in Caney is believed to have originated from airborne lead particles from smelters and related operations, which settled onto area properties over time. Additionally, the use of waste from the smelters as driveway paving, construction backfill, and landscaping material likely contributed to the residential contamination.
The cleanup efforts were not without challenges. Of the 975 properties sampled in Caney, 318 qualified for cleanup. However, the owners of 85 untested or unremediated parcels did not provide cooperation or access for environmental assessments. Nine properties either declined cleanup or were inaccessible because the owner could not be located or contacted.
single-family residential property transactions could be affected by recognized environmental conditions or potential environmental impairment if owners refused cleanup. To address this, EPA encourages parents to have their children tested for lead exposure. Additional information regarding the Caney Residential Yards Superfund Site is available on EPA's website.
For more information, you can contact Michael Davis at [davis.michaelb@our website] or Pamela Houston, Community Engagement Specialist at U.S. EPA Region 7, at 913-551-7699, toll-free: 1-800-223-0425, or [houston.pamela@our website].
The EPA's Lead page, EPA's Learn About Lead page, EPA's Lead at Superfund Sites page, EPA's Fight Lead Poisoning with a Healthy Diet page, and Lead ToxFAQsTM - Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) are resources for additional information on lead and its effects. It's important to remember that the only way to know if your child has elevated blood-lead levels is to have his or her blood tested.
In the early 1900s, zinc and lead smelting in Caney used natural gas as fuel. The history of these operations, and the subsequent lead contamination, serve as a reminder of the importance of environmental regulations and cleanups. The completion of the cleanup in Caney marks a significant step towards ensuring the safety and health of the community.
