Lead poisoning is often treated as if it were a problem of the past. But it’s harmful legacy lingers today, especially in the soil of urban centers across the United States.
One in two American children under the age of 6 tested between late 2018 and early 2020 had detectable levels of lead in their blood. Studies show that soil exposure is a big reason.
The lead pumped out exhaust pipes and industrial smokers decades ago can still be found in ground. Lead paint, widely used throughout the first half of the 20th century, remains on the interior and exterior walls of many homes, breaking down into chips and dust that also end up in soil. And although the US began phasing out lead in motor gasoline and consumer paint in the 1970s, new lead pollution continues to be dumped on communities every year from industrial sites and the aviation gas used by small aircraft.
Although the threat of lead exposure through paint and water is well documented, soils are not systematically tested and mapped to prevent exposure to this invisible neurotoxin.
The Center for Public Integrity and Grist has created a toolkit to help fill these information gaps and arm journalists and community members with the skills needed to conduct their own testing and analysis. The detailed guide walks readers through how to test the soil, map their results, and investigate potential sources, both current and past.
As part of this effort, Public Integrity and Grist will offer several training workshops on the key tools and takeaways from the new guide. For journalists interested in coverage ideas and information about testing, also join us April 23 or April 25both at 1 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Pacific).
For those interested in learning more about how to tackle soil lead contamination in their communities, join us on April 30th at 1pm Eastern (10am Pacific). Register here. You will also receive an invitation to an additional brainstorming session to further adapt these approaches to your area.
Experts say that identifying the environmental sources of contamination is key to preventing lead poisoning in children. Once a child is exposed, the damage cannot be reversed, making environmental testing and mapping essential.
Decades of research showed the lasting damage for children exposed to lead, from impact on brain development – the ability to learn, focus and control impulses – to later health risks such as coronary heart disease. No amount, scientists say, is safe.
Our toolkit offers suggestions no matter what stage you are in your journey to learning about soil lead contamination. If you want to know what existing data indicates, for example, this map referenced in the toolkit shows how common elevated lead levels are in children by census tract or zip code in 34 states. Public health agencies are failing to adequately test children’s blood for lead exposure, research shows, but existing data may point to potential trouble areas for exposure to soil, paint or water.
If you want to know if the soil in your city might be contaminated, but don’t have the resources to conduct widespread testing, you can start small by testing in your backyard or a handful of properties in your neighborhood. The toolkit contains information about the online portal Map my neighborhood, an initiative that allows you to send in test samples to be analyzed for free. You will also see recommendations on key interventions.
