COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) -
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says blood tests done on residents in the Edisto Court neighborhood of Columbia show no lead or arsenic in humans.
The testing was done earlier this month after high levels of lead and arsenic were found in the ground in the neighborhood off Rosewood Drive.
Eighty people were tested for possible exposure to the chemicals, and DHEC says all of the sample results fell within the normal range.
DHEC says there is no cause for additional medical examination of residents at this time.
The EPA found high levels of the chemicals in the ground at the SeAco asphalt plant in the neighborhood.
Investigators cleared the current plant of releasing the chemicals. Instead, they say the chemicals were released when a fertilizer plant operated in the area in the early 1900's.
DHEC warned residents that since the soil is contaminated, they should continue to follow the guidelines below:
• Wash your hands before eating or sleeping
• Wash your hands after playing or working in the yard
• Do not let children eat dirt
• Limit the amount of dust entering your home by keeping windows and doors closed
• Use a damp mop instead of sweeping inside
• Wipe off window sills, table tops and other surfaces that children can reach or that are used for eating
• When mowing the lawn, avoid running the mower over patches of dirt – or wet down dirt areas prior to mowing
Copyright 2012 WIS. All rights reserved.
EPA and DHEC agents testing soil in Edisto Court community
