Doe Run Company

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The Doe Run Company, based in St. Louis, Mo., is one of the largest miners, recyclers and producers of lead in the world. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Renco Group, Inc..^[1] Doe Run operates the largest lead smelter in the United States in Herculaneum, Missouri. It also operates smelters and refineries in La Oroya, Peru and a copper mine in Cobriza, Peru.

[edit] Environmental Impacts

Doe Run's smelters in La Oraya and Herculaneum have both been controversial because of environmental impacts, including extensive lead poisoning found in the children.[1]Toxic Lead Smelting Operation in La Oroya, Peru. Testing by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Missouri Hazardous Waste Program has revealed elevated levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and other metals associated with smelting in the air, soil, and groundwater in Herculaneum. [2]. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service found high levels of lead in fish, mice, frogs, and birds tested near Herculaneum. [3] Many of the birds tested were found to suffer from lead poisoning. Almost half of the children living in Herculaneum who were tested in 2001 near the smelter had high levels of lead in their blood, and a fourth of those under 6 years old had lead poisoning. [4]