Lead Air Pollutant and Sources

Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82

Lead, or Pb, is a metal found naturally in the environment and in manufactured products. Missouri has a long history of lead mining and processing. Historical lead mining areas include the old lead belt around Park Hills in St. Francois County and the tri-state lead area around Joplin in Jasper and Newton counties. Lead continues to be mined from the new lead belt, or Viburnum trend, in Iron and Reynolds counties. Herculaneum, located in Jefferson County, was the site of the nation’s last primary lead smelter, which discontinued primary lead smelting in 2014. Secondary lead smelting, in which lead is recycled from lead-acid batteries and other sources, continues to be done at Buick in Iron County and at Forest City in Holt County.

Historically, major sources of lead emissions into the air included motor vehicles and industrial sources. As a result of the phasing out of leaded gasoline and the introduction of other state and national regulations, airborne lead concentrations have decreased significantly. Industrial processes are now the major source of airborne lead emissions, which includes utilities, lead smelters, waste incinerators and manufacturers of lead-acid batteries. More information is available on EPA's Lead (Pb) Air Pollution webpage and the department's Lead webpage.

Missouri monitors lead concentrations in the air at several locations across the state. Lead is monitored at five additional ambient locations and five locations within facility fence lines by industrial facilities. Monitoring at these industrial facilities follows procedures reviewed by the state, and results are reported to EPA and to the public. Click on the Air Monitoring Sites tab to learn more about these sites. Click on the Monitoring Data tab to learn more about the data collected from this sites.

For information about other ambient air pollutants that the department monitors, visit Air Pollutants and Sources.

Health Effects

People can breath in airborne lead, Pb, or ingest it after it settles onto surfaces or soils. Lead exposure is associated with several health effects that have an adverse impact on kidney function, the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, immune system and reproductive and developmental systems. Lead exposure also affects the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. Once taken into the body, lead is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body. Lead accumulates in the bones. The effects of lead exposure most commonly encountered in current populations are neurological effects in children and cardiovascular effects (e.g., high blood pressure and heart disease) in adults.

Children are more susceptible to the damaging effects of airborne lead than adults because they breathe in more air per minute, typically spend more time outdoors, and exhibit greater hand-to-mouth activity than adults. Children are also more vulnerable to the health effects of lead because their minds and bodies are developing rapidly. Infants and young children are especially sensitive to even low levels of lead, which may contribute to behavioral problems, learning deficits and lowered IQ.

Monitoring Data

Lead

Since 2008, the primary and secondary ambient air standards for lead have remained at 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m³). The primary standard reflects EPA's concern for public health, while the second standard demonstrates concern for public welfare. EPA bases the standard on the highest rolling three-month average over a period of three years and two months. A monitoring site meets the standard when the lead concentration is less than or equal to 0.15 μg/m³ averaged over three months. The standard is not met if the concentration exceeds that level once or more within a three-year period.

Air Quality Analysis for Lead - Monthly Report