ASARCO in El Paso: the Early HistoryBegin reading about El Paso here. ASARCO was central to El Paso’s economy. By 1927 it commanded "a million dollar payroll."
Controversy in El PasoIt was common knowledge that Asarco often waited until the winds blew south towards Mexico to fire up the furnaces and increase production.
Lead Poisoning in El Paso"Even in the worst inner city neighborhoods…we had never seen 3/4 of the children with blood lead levels above 40." Dr. Philip Landrigan
City of El Paso and State of Texas vs. ASARCO: The Fate of Smeltertown In 1972, the City of El Paso, led by Mayor Bert Williams and the State of Texas filed suit against ASARCO.