Doe Run smelter can't be linked to three with Lou Gehrig's disease
By Ken Leiser
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
09/06/2006

Missouri health officials have identified a "small but statistically significant" cluster of three patients who have been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease in Herculaneum.

But Dr. Bao-Ping Zhu, state epidemiologist for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said a new study showed that the overall prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and multiple sclerosis in Jefferson County was no higher than the national average.

The federally funded study was launched in response to community concerns about the incidence of the two neurological diseases in Herculaneum, home to a Doe Run Co. lead smelter. State researchers contacted health care providers, hospitals and the Multiple Sclerosis Society to document cases.

"We did the most exhaustive review possible," he said.Advertisement
The research found that the prevalence of ALS in Jefferson County was 3.9 cases per 100,000 people, compared with 4 to 6 cases per 100,000 people nationally and globally.

But the researchers identified three ALS cases within 1 1/2 miles of the Doe Run plant, the nation's largest lead smelter. Although the geographic concentration of those cases is "statistically significant," Zhu said, the study was unable to draw a link between ALS and lead exposure.

ALS is a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord, leading to paralysis and death in its later stages, according to the nonprofit ALS Association.

The state's study also found that the prevalence of multiple sclerosis cases in the county was 105 per 100,000 people - putting it within the national range of 39 to 173 cases per 100,000, according to a news release.

Doe Run spokeswoman Barbara Shepard said that the health and well being of the smelter's neighbors was the company's top priority and that Doe Run was interested in hearing the report's conclusions.

The findings will be the focus of a public meeting Thursday evening in the Herculaneum High School auditorium. The meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

Zhu said that the report wasn't final yet but that fact sheets would be available to the public.

Dennis Diehl, director of the Jefferson County Health Department, said the study should reassure residents that the prevalence of the neurological diseases didn't buck national trends. But at this point, he added, it is not clear how to interpret the cluster data.

The state and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are seeking a grant from the National Institutes for Health to study whether lead exposure can be tied to the development of ALS.

kleiser@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8215


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State To Study ALS Cases In Herculaneum, Missouri


By Cordell Whitlock

(KSDK) - Some residents in Herculaneum, Missouri believe their town has higher than normal rates of Multiple Sclerosis and ALS.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a neurological disease that attacks nerve cells that control voluntary muscles. The State of Missouri has been investigating.

Two years ago, the Doe Run Company agreed to buy 160 homes located close to their lead smelter because of concerns over air quality and lead contamination.

A study conducted by the Missouri Department of Health found that Jefferson County, where Herculaneum is located, did not have a higher prevelance of ALS and Multiple Sclerosis compared to national averages. But the state has determined a cluster of ALS cases in the town should be studied further.

Ron Huskey worked in the steel trade with his twin brother, Rick. Ten years ago, Rick became ill. He started to lose his balance and eventually he had to send him home. A short time later Rick was diagnosed with ALS.

Ron died four years ago. He was one of three people diagnosed with ALS who lived within a mile and half of Doe Run's smelter. The state wants to do a follow up study investigating whether lead exposure is associated with the development of ALS.

"Basically, I'd just like to have answers through their studies if they can find out why it progresses in any individual or if it has something to do with that. The family went through hell. His son took it hard. It was difficult," Huskey said.

The Missouri Department of Health will present its study to the public Thursday night at 6:30 at the Herculaneum High School auditorium.

A grant proposal has been submitted to the National Institutes of Health for the ALS lead study