[CPEO-BIF] "Lead discovered at higher levels below the soil surface"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Lead discovered at higher levels below the soil surface

NIEHS Superfund Research Program
Research Brief #227
November 6, 2013


Measuring lead soil contamination at the surface may miss higher concentrations just below the ground, according to a new study from the Brown University Superfund Research Program (SRP). Researchers analyzed hundreds of soil samples from residential properties around six water tower sites in southern Rhode Island and found that even when lead levels on the surface are low, concentrations can be greater at depths down to a foot.
 
Prior to 1978, the exteriors of Rhode Island's municipal water towers were painted with lead-containing paint. Over time, this paint could flake-off and deposit on adjacent residential properties. Residents near the water towers, concerned about the health effects from possible lead contamination, challenged inconsistencies in lead levels reported by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). The study by the Brown SRP was done at the request of the RIDOH to evaluate methods of assessing the extent of lead soil contamination from old water towers.
 
RIDEM and RIDOH regulations differ in the soil depth that is required to determine whether remediation is necessary. RIDOH defines "lead-free" (less than 150 mg/kg lead) and "lead-safe" (150 mg/kg to 400 mg/kg lead) based on lead concentrations taken from a depth of 2 cm. RIDEM also defines a lead-soil concentration as a "soil-lead hazard" over 400 mg/kg, but samples are taken at incremental six-inch soil depths up to 24 inches.

…

For the entire research brief, see
http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/srp/researchbriefs/view.cfm?Brief_ID=227

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650-961-8918 or 650-969-1545
Fax: 650-961-8918
LSiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org




_______________________________________________
Brownfields mailing list
Brownfields@lists.cpeo.org
http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/brownfields-cpeo.org