Lead Company Agrees to Buy Homes Company Agrees to Buy Homes of People Living in Shadow of Nation's Largest Lead Smelter The Associated Press S T. L O U I S, March 22 — The owner of the nation's largest lead smelter will offer buyouts to about 160 homeowners in the small town of Herculaneum, where tests show many children have elevated levels of lead in their blood. The agreement with the Doe Run Co., reached Thursday with state officials, adds to the government-mandated cleanup already under way in the town south of St. Louis, where the company's smelter...