About EPA
ASARCO ⁄ El Paso County Metals Site
El Paso’s ASARCO facility has operated as a lead smelter and refinery since 1887. The smelter has been inoperative for several years, with negotiations and planning for cleanup of the site occurring since then. In December 2009, ASARCO signed an agreement guiding the course of the cleanup, which will be lead by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. EPA will provide additional oversight as outlined in an upcoming workplan.
Related resources
- Cleanup Plans, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
- Recasting the Smelter (Trustee’s Web site for ASARCO property)
- Analysis of Risk Factors for Childhood Blood Lead Levels, El Paso, Texas 1997-2002, April 20, 2004, Texas Department of State Health Services
- El Paso Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Study, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Arsenic Soil Clean-up Levels, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- More...