Soil sampling began today in Palmerton as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pursued its efforts to determine how deeply the community was affected by the Palmerton Superfund Site at the former New Jersey Zinc Company.

More than 80 percent of the 600 people who responded to the EPA's community questionnaire agreed to have their properties tested for excessive amounts of lead. Properties with higher than acceptable levels would be remediated at no expense to the property owners.Residents were given multiple opportunities to share their concerns with the government before the sampling was to begin.