How Does the EPA Clean Up Lead Contaminated Soil?
Lead has long been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a major health risk to humans. Lead was used in common items like gasoline and indoor paint until its harmful health effects were understood. One of the most common ways that humans are exposed to lead is by coming into contact with contaminated soil. Whenever the EPA finds an area where humans live that has lead-contaminated soil, the agency supervises its removal and replacement with uncontaminated soil. Does this Spark an idea?
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Lead Contamination
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Children are most at risk for lead poisoning when they come into contact with the metal, though lead is toxic to humans of all ages. When children play in contaminated soils and put their hands in their mouths without washing them, they stand a high risk of lead poisoning. As such, EPA will frequently order soil quality tests for the soil around schools, day cares centers, preschools and Head Start facilities. If there is a higher-than-normal concentration of lead toxicity, the soil must be removed.
Removal Process
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The process by which the contaminated soil is removed varies according to each situation. According to EPA's website, in April 2004, soil with a high concentration of lead and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) toxicity was found near a residential area in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Crews excavated soil down to four feet below the surface and removed an estimated 2,250 cubic yards of soil. Air-quality tests were ordered alongside the excavation to diminish the risk of lead-dust inhalation. A similar case occurred in November 2010, when 27 schools and child-care centers in Missouri were found to have lead-contaminated soil. The schools were temporarily closed so the soil could be excavated and removed.
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Further Processing and Removal
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In these two cases, the contaminated soil was loaded onto trucks and transported to a landfill that specializes in the disposal of hazardous wastes. The second phase of the process involved hiring local landscapers to replace the excavated soil with new soil and to restore the facilities to their pre-excavation state. Further testing then confirmed the absence of toxic levels of lead-contaminated soil or airborne lead dust.
Other Considerations
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If you think you have lead-contaminated soil around or near your home, do not let anyone touch it, play on it or walk on it. If someone does come into contact with the contaminated soil, dispose of his shoes and any other clothes that touched the soil and have him wash his hands immediately and thoroughly. Contact the local EPA office to inquire about soil testing procedures and, if necessary, removal of contaminated soil.
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