Lead in soil - how clean is clean

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States)

OSTI ID:6033361

Davies, B E; Wixson, B G

Soil lead concentration of up to 120 ug/g can occur in surface layers of non-contaminated soils. Therefore, low critical or regulatory concentrations may be unrealistic. Many garden or yard soils typically contain 200-500 ug Pb/g and concentrations of up to 1000 ug Pb/g are common in soils within 10 m of highways. Two approaches can be made for identifying a soil lead content which can be associated with a possible health hazard. One relies on the British lead in food regulations which specify a maximum permissible content of 1 ug/g fresh weight. Plants growing in soil of > 1100 ug Pb/g can contain > 1 ug Pb/g fresh weight. The second follow from identifying hand carried lead as an important control of child blood lead. A blood concentration of > 25 ug Pb/dl is designated in Great Britain as an alert level. Blood lead concentrations > 25 ug/dl can be associated with soil lead contents of 1000-2000 ug/g or more. These arguments lead them to suggest that 1000 ug Pb/g soil would represent a prudent critical regulatory limit and soils with a lower lead content should be regarded as clean. 25 references.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
• OSTI ID: 6033361
• Report Number(s): CONF-860626-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
CONTAMINATION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
FOOD CHAINS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LEAD
METALS
SOILS