Industrial sludge that is the focus of lawsuits will continue to go into the St. Joseph Sanitary Landfill.

The sludge is produced at National Beef Leathers, formerly known as Prime Tanning, in St. Joseph.

Bruce Woody, director of public works for the city, said in a memo to the City Council that the landfill has accepted loads of sludge from Prime Tanning in the past and will continue to do so.

“Prime Tanning/National Beef Leather’s sludge has been tested and shown to have only 2 percent of the allowed chromium content. There is no regulatory reason to refuse this sludge,” the memo states.

Three lawsuits, including one class-action suit on behalf of residents of Northwest Missouri, have been filed seeking damages against the company. The suits claim the sludge contained chromium 6, a carcinogen that caused tumors and other health problems.

The sludge was spread on farm fields as fertilizer because it contains organic matter, such as hair. The lawsuits claim the chromium spread through the air and sickened nearby residents.

After the first lawsuit was filed last week, National Beef stopped applying the sludge to land. Two loads were returned to the plant on April 24, the company said in a statement released Thursday. Those two loads will go to the landfill.

Prime Tanning has shipped sludge to the landfill when fields were frozen or too wet for application, according to the city. Over the past four years, the company brought in about 175 tons, paying tipping fees to dump at the landfill.

Mr. Woody’s memo states that city staff tests the sludge before it is accepted at the landfill and that all chromium levels tested significantly below Environmental Protection Agency regulations. The company requested to bring in increased quantities, and Mr. Woody said the city has granted interim permission.

The tannery operates its own wastewater treatment facility, and Mr. Woody said it complies with regulations.

Susan Mires can be reached

at susanm@npgco.com.