Whats that Smell?

There has recently been a rash of interesting news stories about a variety of toxic materials in Missouri. All of the stories are unrelated, gross, and some involve sludge!
Kelly Eckerman/KMBC
The first and grossest comes out of Cameron, MO. It turns out farmers in and around Cameron, MO have been spreading a toxic sludge as a fertilizer onto their fields. Here's the best part- it comes from a tannery, and its the stuff that takes hair off of hides. (Above is a picture of a guy holding some). National Beef Leathers owns a tannery in St. Joseph, MO and distributes the sludge to all those lucky enough to want it.
Now here's the problem, other than the obvious, there is a strangely high rate of brain tumors in Cameron, MO. Is there a correlation? We're going to have to wait to find out! Stay tuned!

The next is in Leadwood, in the heart of Missouri's Old Lead Belt region! The days of the old lead mines are over, but there is a significant amount of mine waste still there. The Doe Run Co. owns the mines and is responsible for the cleanup.
The debris left there, called tailings, are contaminated with lead and are also huge. Too huge to move. So they decided to cover the tailings with grass to keep the tailings from blowing away. Now here comes the sludge- Doe Run Co. decided to put treated sewer sludge over the tailings to get the grass to grow, a fertilizer of sorts! Unfortunatly, the neighbors are complaining and the EPA is ready to regulate!
Stay tuned for more updates on current and future sludge issues!