Location
Suwanee, GA
Start Date
11-5-2023 1:00 PM
End Date
11-5-2023 4:00 PM
Description
INTRODUCTION: Lead contamination in housing developments of the Metro Atlanta Area has prompted the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Westside Lead Superfund Site for soil and plant remediation efforts. As a result, affected residents have to review their own health and wellness in a different perspective due to the possibility of having lead contamination. No quantity of lead is considered safe in the human body, especially since it is known to compete with the functionality of calcium in many vital biological processes. Manufacturing and disposal procedures in lead-based industries have contributed to lead contamination of soil and water. This especially occurs along railroads where historic operations involved the transport of industrial products containing heavy metals. These transportation routes are found to have elevated levels of heavy metals due to normal train operations, but in some cases the practice of dumping waste into a railroad’s easement has created areas of significant lead contamination. It is possible for these past railroad easements to transition into residential areas, which is the case for one Metro Atlanta home north of the Westside Atlanta Superfund site. Testing of this residence found significant levels of lead contamination, especially where they grew their own produce. Due to the elevated concentration of lead, the EPA has reported to this resident that removal of the soil is recommended.
OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study is to conduct soil and plant sample analysis for lead contamination in a Metro Atlanta residence to observe for possible lead propagation into plants in partnership with the Saikawa Lab of Emory University.
METHODS: Soil and plant samples are collected and prepared for evaluation of lead contamination through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Lead naturally occurs in soil with an average geologic concentration of 10-30 ppm. If levels exceed the average geologic concentration, caution should be considered because it indicates that lead was added by exogenous sources. The lead soil screening level (SSL) of 400 ppm represents the conservative estimate by the EPA as a level of contamination considered a public health issue. The EPA recommends the removal of the lead contaminated soil if levels exceed the lead SSL.
RESULTS: The results obtained in this study will be utilized to understand lead’s propagation into plants from lead contaminated soil. Sample processing is still under way. Data will be compared to preliminary lead contamination testing performed by the EPA, which showed a range of soil lead levels from 348 to 654 ppm in the areas where the resident planted their produce.
CONCLUSION: Food scarcity relative to the COVID-19 pandemic and the following inflation on produce has led many to start home or community gardens. Increasing awareness on the risks of planting in areas without heavy metal evaluation is paramount for the future of those wishing to grow produce safely in their own backyard.
Embargo Period
6-14-2023
Included in
Case study: Lead contamination in soil and plants of a Metro Atlanta home
Suwanee, GA
INTRODUCTION: Lead contamination in housing developments of the Metro Atlanta Area has prompted the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Westside Lead Superfund Site for soil and plant remediation efforts. As a result, affected residents have to review their own health and wellness in a different perspective due to the possibility of having lead contamination. No quantity of lead is considered safe in the human body, especially since it is known to compete with the functionality of calcium in many vital biological processes. Manufacturing and disposal procedures in lead-based industries have contributed to lead contamination of soil and water. This especially occurs along railroads where historic operations involved the transport of industrial products containing heavy metals. These transportation routes are found to have elevated levels of heavy metals due to normal train operations, but in some cases the practice of dumping waste into a railroad’s easement has created areas of significant lead contamination. It is possible for these past railroad easements to transition into residential areas, which is the case for one Metro Atlanta home north of the Westside Atlanta Superfund site. Testing of this residence found significant levels of lead contamination, especially where they grew their own produce. Due to the elevated concentration of lead, the EPA has reported to this resident that removal of the soil is recommended.
OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study is to conduct soil and plant sample analysis for lead contamination in a Metro Atlanta residence to observe for possible lead propagation into plants in partnership with the Saikawa Lab of Emory University.
METHODS: Soil and plant samples are collected and prepared for evaluation of lead contamination through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Lead naturally occurs in soil with an average geologic concentration of 10-30 ppm. If levels exceed the average geologic concentration, caution should be considered because it indicates that lead was added by exogenous sources. The lead soil screening level (SSL) of 400 ppm represents the conservative estimate by the EPA as a level of contamination considered a public health issue. The EPA recommends the removal of the lead contaminated soil if levels exceed the lead SSL.
RESULTS: The results obtained in this study will be utilized to understand lead’s propagation into plants from lead contaminated soil. Sample processing is still under way. Data will be compared to preliminary lead contamination testing performed by the EPA, which showed a range of soil lead levels from 348 to 654 ppm in the areas where the resident planted their produce.
CONCLUSION: Food scarcity relative to the COVID-19 pandemic and the following inflation on produce has led many to start home or community gardens. Increasing awareness on the risks of planting in areas without heavy metal evaluation is paramount for the future of those wishing to grow produce safely in their own backyard.