Families Near Smelter to Be Moved

WASHINGTON — Federal officials have approved an evacuation of up to 14 families from tiny Mill Creek, Mont., where a now-closed copper smelter sprinkled the rural community with heavy metals for decades.

The Environmental Protection Agency approved relocation for up to one year of families with small children and residents with health ailments after an “endangerment” analysis showed that arsenic and other metals left by the Anaconda Copper Co. smelter, which closed in 1980, are in the soil and drinking water.

Jim Baker, an EPA toxicologist in the agency’s Denver office, said the analysis determined that Mill Creek residents are at a “fairly substantial” risk of developing skin cancer. In general, Baker said, the contamination may cause an accelerating aging process. “The rates of kidney failure and heart failure will be affected by this exposure,” he said.

John Giedt, chief of the emergency response branch in the agency’s Denver office, said the federal government will provide up to 14 families with enough money to find comparable or nearly comparable housing in nearby communities for a year. In the meantime, the government will decide whether all the residents should be moved permanently.