JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A St. Joseph Democrat called on legislators Wednesday for more state scrutiny on industrial sludge in response to potential health complications in Cameron.

The House supported a proposal from Rep. Martin Rucker, who wants to give the Department of Natural Resources the authority to test the sludge before it is spread on land as fertilizer. Current state law exempts industrial sludge from DNR testing for water contamination if companies obtain a license from the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Missouri.

“They’ve been doing this forever,” Mr. Rucker said. “Now all of a sudden there’s implications and it’s part of a problem.”

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich told citizens in Cameron last month that sludge from a St. Joseph tannery could be linked to brain tumors and other health problems in the area.

A Cameron resident and a Gallatin resident filed a lawsuit against Prime Tanning for allegedly giving farmers sludge contaminated with hexavalent chromium to spread on crop fields. Chromium remained in the sludge, became airborne and exposed residents to a known carcinogen, the lawsuit claims.

The sludge from Prime Tanning, a firm recently purchased by National Beef Packing, contained hair, fat and proteins from the tanning process.

Officials from Prime Tanning, which since has stopped land application, contend the lawsuits have no basis.

“This is not just for Prime Tanning. This is for anybody that’s exempted under these rules,” Mr. Rucker said, noting about six companies in Missouri have obtained the exemptions and aren’t tested regularly.

Mr. Rucker on Wednesday amended an environmental protection bill so companies would have to obtain a permit from DNR and yield to testing before their sludge could be applied to land as fertilizer, calling the state’s lack of authority “unacceptable.”

Perhaps more relevant is that if his language becomes law, the DNR could revoke any existing exemptions and perform tests if it determines any of the grandfathered companies have contaminated groundwater.

William Kemper, of Cameron, who is suing Prime Tanning, said he hadn’t seen Mr. Rucker’s amendment, but “I would support a bill that requires the state to test any industrial sludge before it is land applied.”

Mr. Rucker received widespread support in a voice vote in the House, but the Senate has yet to agree on the changes to the underlying bill.

“We want to take all precautions and make sure we’re not spreading something out there that will be harmful to our health,” said Rep. Jim Guest, R-King City, whose legislative district includes Cameron.

Susanne Medley, the DNR’s director of communications, said the department would welcome the change as a way to better protect citizens from the environment.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached at alysonraletz@npgco.com.