CANTON, Ohio — The back of Eric Thompkins’ home faces a steel mill. A residue he said he believes is from the mill is caked onto the siding of his home.

“You can scrub and scrub and scrub and it’s not coming off,” Thompkins said.

Republic Steel’s Canton mill is the only one in the state that makes leaded steel. Some Canton residents who live near the mill have been battling over alleged pollutants from the production of leaded steel. Republic Steel stopped production at the Canton mill in Aug. 2023 and is in the process of permanently shutting down that location.

“You’ll be sitting in your house sometimes and you’ll see a big puff of black smoke in the air,” Thompkins said, pointing to the steel mill.

The Ohio attorney general’s office recently secured a settlement with Republic Steel over air pollution violations at their Canton site. The company is now required to pay $60,000 for air-quality monitoring and $300,000 to fund a house cleaning program for residents who bore the brunt of excessive emissions.

“The home is not my biggest problem. My biggest problem is our health issue,” Thompkins said.

Attorneys representing Republic Steel responded by email and said they do not provide statements regarding client enforcement cases.

Thompkins said he’s had to adjust his lifestyle because of concerns about air quality near the mill.

“We love to sit outside... Always fearful of what am I breathing in the process?” he said. “We don’t know what kind of long-term affects this is causing to our health.” 

According to the Ohio Health Department, exposure to lead can have numerous health effects, including learning and behavior problems in children.

The city has installed air quality monitors that track lead content. They analyze the air quality near the mill twice a month, according to Rachel Brown, a monitoring and inspection technician with the city of Canton.

“It seems like they’ve been lower since they’ve stopped operating,” Brown said.

Wardell Davis lives down the street from the Republic Steel mill. He’s an Army veteran that has seen his share of battles and has added dealing with the steel mill to that list. He said he’s mostly glad it has stopped production.

“Big plus for the environment, but at the same time, there’s job loss and livelihoods lost. That’s the one thing you don’t want to cheer on,” Davis said.

He still has to contend with a fence covered in residue.

“It’s going to take chemicals,” he said.

He’s doesn’t think the $300,000 settlement will be enough.

“Are you going to do anything for everybody that lives out here? And not just where you see it, because there’s places where you don’t see it. Everyone’s house out here will need to be cleaned from the top down,” Davis said.

Thompkins said he is worried about long-term health effects and also about his biggest asset.

“Power washing won’t be enough for some of these homes. Some of the siding on some of these homes probably can’t be saved. We can’t just let this go just because they shut down. We have to hold them accountable,” Thompkins said.

“We live in a capitalist society. They’re free to make money, but you have to do it the right way,” he said.