ARSENIC IN SURFACE SOIL ABOUT ANACONDA. 



'61 



by eatino- forage containing arsenic. It was noted that the oastror 

 intestinal tract was inflamed and sections of the glands of the stom- 

 ach and kidneys shoAved a desquamation of the e[)itlieliuni, cloudy 

 swelling, and in some cases fatty degeneration. The symptoms de- 

 scribed by the farmers include inflammation of the mucous membrane 

 of the upper air passages, running from the nose, diarrhea, thirst, 

 emaciation, and incoordination of gait. From the above symptoms 

 and post-mortem appearances, together with the amount of arsenic 

 found in the various forage plants, there can be but little doubt that 

 the cattle were killed by arsenic." 



To give some idea of the distribution of arsenic on the soil in the 

 vicinity of the smelter, samples were taken to a depth of 2 inches 

 at varying distances from the plant. Since it might be claimed 

 that any ar.senic found in these samples was naturally present in the 

 soil and did not come from the smelter fumes, similar samples beyond 

 the apparent range of the smelter smoke were also taken and ex- 

 amined for arsenic. The results obtained are given in Table VTI. 



Table VII. — Aisenic content of surface two inches of soils, expressed as metal- 

 lic arsenic. 



[Calculated to dry basis.] 



« Calculated on the basis of 69 pounds as the average weight of a cubic foot of surface 

 soil. 



From this table it is evident that the surface 2 inches of all soils 

 examined in the vicinity of the smelter, at distances varying from 1 

 to 8 miles, contain large amounts of arsenic. It is also shown that 

 this arsenic must come from the smelter, since the two soil samples 

 taken beyond the apparent range of smelter smoke do not contain 

 any arsenic. 



" Dr. llobeit J. Formad, a pathologist of the Bureau of Auimal Industry, 

 U. S. Depaitiiieiit of Agriculture, made a very thorough study of the post- 

 mortem appearance of cattle in this region, and the results of his work are 

 given in the Twenty-fifth Annual Report of that Bureau (for 1908), page 237. 



