Addressing Community Concerns about Lead Contamination in Soil: Insights for Site Cleanup
- Argonne National Laboratory, Environmental Science Division, Argonne, IL (United States)
Health risks associated with contaminated sites are a key driver for cleanup decisions and determinations about alternate land use of areas released to the public, particularly in heavily populated metropolitan areas. To guide risk management and future use decisions at contaminated sites, insights can be gained from community-based research. These evaluations can also help ensure that assessments and decisions developed for urban sites consider input received from community members. In order to evaluate the potential risk due to consumption of plants home-grown in lead-contaminated soil, a pilot study was conducted over a period of two summers in a Chicago, IL neighborhood. This survey included analyses of lead concentrations in a convenience sampling of edible fruits, vegetables, and herbs and also examined how the sample preparation method affected the lead concentrations detected in plant materials. A pattern of lead transfer from soil through the root to the stem and leaves of garden crops was found. This pattern is a concern particularly for plants in which the roots, stems, stalks, or leaves are consumed. Analyses of fruiting vegetables indicated that concentrations were below the limit of detection. Depending on the soil lead level and specific plant, the contamination found in some leafy vegetables and herbs may exceed the body's daily excretion rate and could contribute to the total body burden of lead, especially in children. Finally, washing edible portions did not necessarily eliminate the risk, indicating that the lead was located both on and in the plant tissue. This research was conducted in coordination with health experts from the community, and local citizens were involved in discussions on the research and implications for their health protection measures. In certain residential locations, identifying and understanding the potential source of lead contamination provides information for the community such that simple measures can be applied for protecting their health (e.g., creating a raised bed, or relocating garden areas). Similar practical measures can be applied for more complex sites, to frame land use decisions in a way that can account for localized hot spots without precluding all options of interest to projected future users. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21319787
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-10-WM-08307; TRN: US10V0528061978
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2008 Waste Management Symposium - WM2008/WM'08: HLW, TRU, LLW/ILW, Mixed, Hazardous Wastes and Environmental Management - Phoenix Rising: Moving Forward in Waste Management, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 24-28 Feb 2008; Other Information: Country of input: France; 28 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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