ARSENIC IN SURFACE SOIL ABOUT ANACONDA. Sali 
by eating forage containing arsenic. It was noted that the gastro- 
intestinal tract was inflamed and sections of the glands of the stom- 
ach and kidneys showed a desquamation of the epithelium, 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 arsenic 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 VII. 
TABLE VII.—Arsenic content of surface two inches of soils, expressed as metal- 
lic arsenic. 
[Calculated to dry basis. ] 
Arsenic | Arsenic 
in in 
: : surface || : P surface 
Approximate dis- Fi SUE Approximate dis- A : : 
Serial tance and diree- Pecnlcnes RN || Serial tanee and direc- pasenie ee ae P 
No. tion from smel- ee ei AR ea Ml TeNIGis tion from smel- ae Soil SRG 
ter. ; per | ter. in ; per 
square square 
foot. foot. 
Milligram.| Grains. || Milligram.| Grains. 
Al(Gee=eS2smles NES Snes 0.50 AQEO || 4 Qeaais milesehy =e 0.20 16.1 
AN OO Saas Sele StN sean .30 Aiea Alli Os OMMTLeS Hy sense ere. : .08 6.4 
417A bes meme eas GOs 1 .50 AQ OT Alleria es| eee (0 (ope ee 08 6.4 
AN Seners | ATM ES Nun ee oe .20 TOSI | 481 Ses | 4s miles aWias ae 230 24.1 
ALSO2== = |oumilessNihs=s2 = - = 30 2041 (52265 miles) Waes= == = 25 20.1 
4174____] 6 miles NE__-__-_-. .30 24SNG| 40652 =4| 15 amuilessWeee = None. None. 
4178____| 8 miles NE__-___-_- .08 6.4 || 4163___| 10 miles SW_-_-___- | None. None. 
AN 2 soe TNLOS SB a -00 40.2 
ee Calculated on the basis of 69 pounds as the average weight of a cubic foot of surface 
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 alse 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. 
4Dr. Robert J. Formad, a pathologist of the Bureau of Animal Industry, 
U. S. Department 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. 
