Roadside lead contamination in the Missouri lead belt.

The lead content of soils and vegetation along highways used for truck transport of lead concentrate (essentially lead sulfide) from mines and mills to smelters, was compared with that of control routes with comparable amounts of traffic but no ore transport. Greatly elevated levels of lead were present in soils and vegetation along rights-of-way of ore truck routes. Contamination was limited for the most part to 100 yards or less. This dispersal of lead into the environment could be prevented largely by use of tight covers on the ore vats of the trucks. This is a case of needless contamination of our environment with a toxic substance that can have serious health implications for man and other animal life.