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Contamination site worries neighboring residents

Residents living near a former metal aircraft manufacturing site in north St. Louis County are expressing concerns about contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency hosted a public meeting Thursday night about the former Missouri Metals plant near Overland. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that EPA leaders told residents they're doing what they can to remedy the problem, but residents worry about health effects and decreases in property values.

Recent testing shows that contamination exists a little farther south of the site than anticipated. PerkinElmer Inc. of Waltham, Mass., owns the site, and has agreed to remediate it. The company has not operated a business there in 12 years.

The site is contaminated with the chemical trichloroethylene, which can cause cancer if exposure is high for a prolonged period.

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