Considerations in Remediating Urban Soil Pb.

Lead contamination in urban environments is a common human risk issue stemming from a variety of lead sources such as leaded paint and gasoline. Many urban soils exceed soil screening levels, and a potential recalculation of the current soil screening level as a result of CDC's recommendation to lower acceptable blood lead levels to <5 micrograms per deciliter will give rise to even more soils exceeding recommended levels of contamination. Traditional methods of remediation via removal of contaminated soil, placement in a hazardous waste landfill, and replacement soil sourced from a healthy ecosystem is often cost prohibitive in a large urban area. Cleanup levels can be adjusted if risk (i.e., bioavailability) can be demonstrated to be less that the default model value. Site-specific bioavailability adjustments to cleanup efforts can be further enhanced with soil amendments and engineering controls that limit access to contaminated soil. This presentation will discuss current state of the science efforts to address lead contamination in urban settings through scientific research to community involvement.