Indiana asked to test soil near Bloomington salvage yard

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Bloomington city leaders and residents near a salvage yard want Indiana's environmental agency to conduct soil testing after an initial analysis found high levels of toxic metals in the area.

The analysis by the Center for Urban Health at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis found high levels of chromium, arsenic, lead and other metals in soil from low-income properties near the salvage yard.

City council members say in a recent letter to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management that while the state isn't required to do the testing, they hope it will do it "in the interest of helping the low-income neighborhood develop a more complex picture of the safety of their soil."

IDEM spokesman Barry Sneed tells The Herald-Times the matter is currently under review. He declined further comment.

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com