High levels of potentially hazardous metals are in the air in East Liverpool, and the Environmental Protection Agency is saying a local plant might be to blame.

The levels of manganese and chromium are the big concern in the areas around the S.H. Bell plant in East Liverpool -- they’re the highest levels in the country.

The focus is to bring the levels down quick and keep them down.

"These numbers are very high, and we're taking the actions to immediately reduce them for the long term,” said Ohio EPA toxicologist Paul Koval.

The level of manganese is the biggest concern -- it's the highest. But the chromium can also be very dangerous depending on what type it is. If it's chromium zero or three -- the threat isn't as high. However, chromium 6 can cause cancer.

It could be up to a year before experts will know which one they're dealing with.

"It doesn't bode well for the air quality to be this bad and for it to take this long to recognize it; that concerns me," said East Liverpool resident Alonzo Spencer.

But Spencer said his concerns don't stop there, he worries about his family and the entire community.

The EPA has given S.H. Bell proposed orders to help bring the levels down. Vice president of operations at the plant, Rusty Davis, said they are willing to work with the EPA.

“At the same time we think there could be additional contributors out there," said Davis.

EPA officials and other agencies are still investigating to determine the severity and whether there are additional contributors.

They said this is a problem, but it is fixable if S.H. Bell complies.

"We anticipate the levels in the air to go down immediately if these immediate measures are taken by S.H. Bell,” said Koval.