Harvard Medical School researchers have determined a small border town in eastern Washington has 10 to 15 times the normal rates of an inflammatory bowel disease.

The Spokesman Review reports Sunday (http://bit.ly/PORtXW) residents of the 296-people Northport, Wash., are blaming a smelter upriver in British Columbia.

The border town is located downwind and downriver of a smelter in Trail, British Columbia, that's run by Teck Resources. For years, the smelter dumped pollutants into the Columbia River.

Researchers believe ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease has environmental triggers, so they are looking at Northport for clues.

Last year, 119 current and former Northport residents took part in a health survey designed by Dr. Josh Korzenik. Seventeen had confirmed cases of either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.