How Do We Communicate About Urban Soil Risks?.

Urban soils may pose many risks and communicating about these risks can be difficult.  Soil scientists may need to address soil physical, chemical, and biological properties, as well as human health risks, all at once.  This presentation highlights risk communication topics to consider when discussing urban soil risks with the general public, including how to describe what the risk is and how people can avoid the risk.  Researchers in urban soils may encounter numerous different hazards, including metals and PAHs.  Each contaminant could be addressed separately or grouped together by common characteristics.  Communicating about soil risks can easily become risk communication about environmental hazards.  For example, urban soils can pose a PAH exposure risk, but PAH exposure is ubiquitous in food, water, and air as well.  An example will be presented about communicating PAH risks.  Understanding how experts and the general public understand urban soils risks will greatly enhance our abilities to utilize these soil resources.  Effective communication can be limited by a lack of uniform soil guidelines, an absence of feasible steps for the public to take to reduce risks, and the complexities of contaminant bioavailability. This presentation can join a larger discussion and effort within SSSA that will develop educational materials to effectively communicate risks posed by urban soils to the general public.