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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued what it describes as a “Management Alert” titled:

Unapproved Use of Slag at Anaconda Co. Smelter Superfund Site (“Alert”)

See Report No. 20-N-0030.

The Alert is transmitted from the OIG Acting Inspector General to the EPA Region 8 Administrator.

OIG states that while conducting work on an ongoing audit titled Communication of Human Health Risks Posed by Sites in the Office of Land and Emergency Management’s Programs, it identified the unapproved use of slag in an Anaconda, Montana Superfund site.

Slag in this instance is described by EPA as waste material from historical mining and smelting operations.

OIG states that:

Slag from the Anaconda Co. Smelter Superfund Site is being used or sold as a souvenir despite it not being an approved use according to the Record of Decision for the site. As a result of slag being used or sold as a souvenir, the public may be at risk of exposure to contamination.

OIG states that during the risk communication audit it became aware that bags of slag were being sold or provided to the public as souvenirs in Anaconda. Such uses of the slag are stated to have not been approved by EPA or the Montana Department of Environmental Quality in the Record of Decision.

OIG makes certain recommendations to the Region 8 Regional Administrator to address such sale of slag.

OIG requests that within 15 days EPA provide a response, including actions taken concerning the matter.

A copy of the Alert can be downloaded here.