State testing levels of arsenic near homes in Montgomery Co.

MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (AP) — A state environmental response team has been testing for higher-than-normal arsenic levels along a rural Montgomery County road.

Larry Hughes of the state Division of Waste Management tells local media that initial soil samples taken last week showed levels “that were pretty high in arsenic.” The team took more samples Tuesday from the road, which is lined with mobile homes.

The site used to be home to a wood-treatment company.

Arsenic at 8 or 9 parts per million occurs naturally in soil and is considered safe. Hughes says last week’s sampling showed numbers “in the hundreds, some in the thousands” parts per million.

The state will more thoroughly sample the area with homes to determine what action should be taken.

Arsenic has been linked to different kinds of cancer.

 

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