EPA finds unsafe levels of metals in a dozen Columbia yards

COLUMBIA — The Environmental Protection Agency said unsafe levels of toxic metals have been detected in a dozen yards in a neighborhood that was once home to a fertilizer plant.

The State newspaper of Columbia reports that EPA contractors have finished their soil sampling work in the Edisto Court community. A decision on whether to clean up the contamination at taxpayer expense may take several months.

Results from residents’ blood and urine screenings taken are not yet available.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control identified elevated lead and arsenic levels in the soil of eight yards last month. The EPA found unsafe levels in a dozen of 45 yards it tested. DHEC said a fertilizer plant that closed in the late 1930s is the likely pollution source.