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