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Burlington Soil Lead Levels. Soil Sleuths: Sage Miyake ∞ Kelsey Poljacik ∞ Mary Fafard Randy Stearns ∞ Mariah Schneider Ben Dillner ∞ Kim Haab ∞ Sophie White ∞ Cody Cone Laura Dickinson ∞ Scott Wheeler. What is Lead?. Element 82: Pb A soft, malleable and corrosion-resistant metal - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Burlington Soil Lead Levels
Soil Sleuths:Sage Miyake ∞ Kelsey Poljacik ∞ Mary Fafard
Randy Stearns ∞ Mariah Schneider Ben Dillner ∞ Kim Haab ∞ Sophie White ∞ Cody Cone
Laura Dickinson ∞ Scott Wheeler
• Element 82: Pb
• A soft, malleable and corrosion-resistant metal
• Once used extensively in paint, gasoline and piping
• Now used for x-ray shielding and protection
What is Lead?
Hazardous Effects of Lead
• In excess, lead can be extremely toxic• Children can suffer from:– Nervous system and brain damage– Learning problems– Stunted growth
• Adults can suffer from:– Reproductive problems– High blood pressure and hypertension
How Much Lead is Safe?
• For soil with 150 ppm treatment isn’t necessary.
• Soil with 150-400 ppm lead is allowed, however unsafe
• Between 400-1200 ppm should be blocked off and new soil or mulch should be added on top of the contaminated area.
• Any level above 1200 ppm is highly dangerous, and the Vermont Department of Health should be contacted for further treatment.
MethodsFor some areas, we took
scaled core samples to test the variation in lead content according to depth.
However, for the majority of our samples, we tested the top soil as that interacts with the environment most.
Sampling• Parks
• Playgrounds• Old Buildings• Newer Buildings
• Paint• Exposed Soil
• Homes• Roadside• Gardens• Street Dirt
Procedure
• Collected our samples• Found the pH of each sample• Made observations and wrote descriptions of each• Used the XRF machine to determine the elemental
composition of the soils
Transect Soil Samples at Fleming Museum
Mapping
Parks
Buildings
Playgrounds
Roads
HousesFo
rest
Gardens0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Soil Lead Levels in Various Areas
Lead
Leve
l (pp
m)
Pb1%
Zr1%
S1%
Zn1%
Fe56%
Mn2%
Ti9%
K30%
Other0%
PbZrSZnFeMnTiKOther
Average Elemental Composition of All Soil Samples
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Lead Levels in Soils Around and Away from Lead Paint
Soils Near Lead PaintSoils Away From Lead Paint
Lead
Leve
ls (p
pm)
Pomeroy Park Edmounds Playground
Water Front Park
Battery Park0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Highest Lead Levels In Playgrounds and Parks
Locations In Burlington
Lead
Lev
els
in p
pm (p
arts
per
mill
ion)
Fleming Museum Acceptable Level Delehanty Hall0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Fleming Museum and Delehanty Hall Lead Levels
Lead
Leve
ls (p
pm)
Top Middle Bottom0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Lead Content at Different Depths
Comparison of lead content from transect-seven sample top to bottom
Conclusions From Our Data
• Lead is more prominent in populated areas• Areas closest to old buildings have the highest
lead levels and are of the most concern• Playground areas with lead contamination
need attention now!
Solutions
• Safety Precautions:– Keep children away from contaminated areas– Cover eroded soil with mulch or fresh soil– Properly remove leaded paint and apply safe paint– Keep play areas and gardens away from home
drip-zones– Park cars in driveways, not on lawns– Discontinue the use of lead weights on cars
Although lead can be useful in a variety of ways, many issues concerning lead are pressing and need
to be dealt with properly.