Residents of Herculaneum, Missouri have complained for months that the town's 110-year-old smelter, operated by the Doe Run Company, is polluting the area with toxic substances such as lead. Their worst fears were confirmed yesterday when the state health department released the results from an analysis of nearly 1,000 blood samples given by local residents last fall.

Nearly fifty percent of the children tested had high levels of lead in their blood, compared to a national rate of only three percent. Health officials say the results are dangerously high. State administrators have labeled the Doe Run smelt an "urgent public health hazard." Several public health experts involved in the study say the rate of lead contamination in the town may be the highest they have ever seen.

Lead is known to cause seizures, comas, kidney damage, and even death. Doe Run has already spent millions to update its facilities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the company has until July to meet Federal standards.