To address public concern over metals in dust from its active copper mine, Montana Resources two years ago began a study of metals in larger particulates at the former Greeley School air monitoring site near the mine.
The results are in, and they look good.
For an unbiased third-party perspective on the data, MR consulted Dr. Kumar Ganesan, department head of environmental engineering at Montana Technological University.
Looking over the data from March 2019 to June 2020, Ganesan issued a straightforward assessment.
“In summary, I did not find anything alarming,” he said. “The data I have looked at so far does not show any concern for human health.”
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services meanwhile analyzed data from the station for just the spring and summer of 2019. In a letter to Butte-Silver Bow Health Officer Karen Sullivan, state toxicologist Matthew Ferguson drew the same conclusion for metals as Ganesan.