In 1994 a farmer was leasing agricultural fields for his cattle called the Kemp Ranch. The farmer wanted to know whether his cattle were being adversely affected. This is what was discovered.
These are excerpts from over the 100 page report & letters dated 6/9/94 - 9/22/94 from Loren Lund Ph.D, Toxicology & Risk Assessment Section, Office of Air Quality to Melvin Lewis, Manager Region 4 TNRCC.

At his request, hay-bale, vegetation (i.e., forage), soil, wheat, and water samples were collected near Chaparral Steel/International Mill Service property in Midlothian, TX. The samples were analyzed for up to eighteen metals (aluminum, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, strontium, thallium, titanium, and zinc).

Hay & Vegetation: A review of the results indicates that animal consumption of hay and vegetation grown in the hay field may result in impaired animal performance or unsafe metal concentrations in food (e.g. meat, milk) produced for human consumption. This review is based upon cadmium and iron levels which exceed the maximum dietary levels for cattle. A preliminary review of the results indicates that due to the potential for adverse health effects in animals, grazing in the hay field identified by the cross-hatched area on the attached map SHOULD BE AVOIDED.. In, addition, the hay-bales stored in the hay field SHOULD NOT BE FED TO ANIMALS.

Soil samples collected from the hay field contained elevated levels of cadmium, manganese, and lead. Cadmium, manganese, and lead levels exceeded the human soil ingestion comparison values by up to 2.1, 1.1, and 6.2 times, respectively. Human ingestion of soil from the hay field with the measured metal concentrations may result in adverse health effects. In addition to exposure through hay and vegetation consumption, animal ingestion of soil during grazing may increase the total metal exposure in the animal. However, zinc levels in two soil samples.....and one soil sample......exceeded (up to 20 times) the soil comparison value set to protect the most sensitive plant species (i.e., lettuce). Levels of zinc above the soil comparison value for plants may be txoic.
 
Water Samples: Molybdenum levels exceeded the ATSDR drinking water comparison value in two of the samples, suggesting the potential for adverse health effects due to molybdenum if humans were to consume the water. Iron, aluminum, and manganese levels exceeded the secondary standards in some of the samples by up to 12.2 times, which affects the aesthetic quality of drinking water.

Consumption of hay and/or vegetation containing metals at concentrations above the MTL may result in adverse health effects in cattle. In addition, food (e.g., meat and milk) derived from these animals for human consumption may contain minerals at levels which could adversely affect human health.

Shortly after this TXI purchased the land.  It is now called " TXI RAILPORT". Very convenient to just pour concrete over the land and build an industrial park. Some of the land is still used for cattle and hay. Some of the same emissions & new ones from TXI & Chaparral Steel exist today.  NOTHING HAS CHANGED. What kind of adverse health effects will the employee's that work at some of the companies that relocated to Railport have in the future?  Did TXI Real Estate inform the companies that relocated in Railport of the contamination & all the emissions that blow their way?  Did these companies that relocated to Railport inform their employee's of what is emitted from these plants?

WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER FARM LAND CLOSE TO THESE PLANTS? WOULD YOU WANT TO TAKE THE CHANCE AND FEED YOUR ANIMALS WITH CROPS GROWN IN MIDLOTHIAN?


RAILPORT WITH TXI & CHAPARRAL STEEL IN THE BACKGROUND


HAY IS STILL GROWN ON THE KEMP RANCH / RAILPORT TODAY 6/7/07
DESPITE THE CONTANMINATION FOUND IN 1994.



CROPS ARE STILL GROWN CLOSE TO TXI & CHAPARRAL STEEL