SCIENCE IN THE REGION
Science
loRESULTS
S . EPA
Community
I |fi Lead Safe Yards Program
SCIENCE AT THE EPA NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL OFFICE
SCIENCE lies at the heart of the mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Agency must rely on cutting edge research, accurate
measurements and effective technology to implement its programs to protect the environment and human health. Without sound science and credible data,
EPA can not wisely set environmental and health standards, clean up contaminated sites, measure ambient air and water quality conditions, or identify the new
technologies or practices that will reduce releases to the environment. These fact sheets share with you some of our EPA New England's laboratory capabilities
and exemplify some of the very best science we do to meet our agency mission.
GOAL:
EPA New England scientists, in collaboration with the Boston University School of Public Health and the
communities of Dorchester and Roxbury, Massachusetts, designed, developed and implemented a lead-free
safe yards program. It enabled communities to build in preventative lead exposure methods in landscape
architecture, resulting in a decrease in blood lead levels in children.
KEY CONTACTS:
PAUL CARROLL
Chemist
(617) 918-8306
carroll.paul@epa.gov
ERNEST WATERMAN
Chief, Environmental
Investigations & Analysis
(o 17) 918-8t>32
waterrnan.ernest@epa.gov
ROBERT HILLCER
Senior Science Advisor
(617) 918-8660
hillger.robert@epa.gov
GENERAL INFO:
EPA NEW ENGLAND
REGIONAL LABORATORY
11 Technology Dr.
North Chelmsford, MA 01863
(617) 918-8300
www.epa.gov/ne/lab
TOLL-FREE
CUSTOMER SERVICE
1-800-EPA-7341
PROGRESS:
Exposure to lead in contaminated soils can result in
very serious health impacts, especially in children under
the age of six. Even so. lead-contaminated soil in older
Boston neighborhoods remains a
source of exposure that does not
always receive the attention it should.
Though many homes are deleaded
on both the interior and exterior,
their respective yards where chil-
dren spend considerable time playing
often go unsampled and untreated.
The lead-free safe yards project
developed an approach to help
reduce this problem.
EPA chemist testing
soil for lead
Working with the neighborhood
health centers, and with staff from Boston University
and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), scientists
from EPA's regional laboratory set up a study that al-
lowed them to work in 100 neighborhood homes, evalu-
ate exposure potential to lead in soils, and then develop
remedial and preventative solutions to help children
avoid exposure. Utilizing a hand-held instrument called
a field portable x-ray fluorescence analyzer (FPXRF).
EPA scientists were able to conduct real-time lead mea-
surements in soils and map out the designated zones of
exposure in each family yard. That data then allowed
the landscape architects and community services to de-
sign play areas in the yard that were low in exposure,
install catch basins for high exposure areas, and place
specific plants that bio-remediate (or clean) the lead
hazard. For example, one of the most common places
where lead in soil can be found is in soil within 3 feet
of the side of homes where old lead
paint chips typically fall from the
home to the ground. These areas
were turned into capture and trap
basins using gravel that provided
a dual purpose: retaining the lead
chips and preventing children from
playing in those areas, In addition,
plants that are known to assist in
the bioremediation of lead were
planted, creating a further barrier to
playing in that section of the yard.
BENEFITS:
Understanding the spatial distribution of lead in yard
soils allowed homeowners to selectively remove any
top soil contaminated with lead from vegetable gar-
dens and focus on making play areas for children lead
free. Knowing that this was a problem in older cities
nationwide, the research group worked with EPA's Of-
fice of Research and Development (ORD) to publish a
National Protocol for the Prevention of Lead Exposure
in community neighborhoods. The community health
services and Boston School of Public Health noted
considerable reductions in blood lead levels in children
after the work was completed.
United States
Environmental Protection
kAgency
® printed on 100% recycled papier, with a minimum of 50% post consumer waste, using vegetable-based inks
EPA-901-F-09-016
April 2009
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