ARSENIC IN SURFACE SOIL ABOUT ANACONDA. 29 
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.* 
Togive 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 surfece tico inches of soils, expressed as metal- 
lic arsenic. 
[Calculated to dry basis. ] 
j | f 
7 
Arsenic Arsenic 
in in 
. ae surface an : surface 
Serial | Approximate dis- Arsenic per} two P Approximate dis- Arsenic per two 
Serial tance and direc. gram of | inches¢ Serial tance and direc- eran of | duchess 
se ae oa dry soil. | ofsoil | No. pe from smel- dry soil. of soil 
. : J per j . per 
| square square 
| foot. foot. 
shee | Milligram.| Grains. Milligram.| Grains. 
atjG= >| 2 mates N_-= =f 0.50 | AN Del 49795 = oamiles- =. 0.20 16.1 
AIGOL =I 3 Wiles N= = == 30 | PAPI 4070 106 miles) E25: .08 6.4 
oe pie nee EE Bae Abed ee — dO ee 08 6.4 
4173____| 4 miles NE ns A, -20 | 1B ato 4 miles We 30 24.1 
4180___-| 5 miles NE__-_____ 30 | 24 AN 7 5-2-1, 6GEmiles W2-- 5 =— -25 20.1 
4174 ___| 6 miles NE________ -30 | 24.1 | 4165 LS miles: Wes None. None. 
es space ts ee eee -08 | 6.4 | 4163_-_| 10 miles SW__--_-- None. None. 
{22-25 amie S BS. 00 | 40.2 | 
Ss orleans 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. 
“One of the pathologists 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 will give the results of his work in the near future, 
