Brownfields
Success Story
Lead Remediation at
Brownfields Sites
New England
Over the past few decades, EPA's Brownfields program has helped reduce
the threat of lead exposure by cleaning up hundreds of contaminated
properties. By removing or encapsulating lead-based paint, excavating
and disposing contaminated soil, and protecting groundwater, EPA has
improved public health and safeguarded vulnerable populations, including
expecting mothers and young children.
Background
Before the 1970s and 1980s, lead was freely used in a wide range of products
and industrial practices. The federal government has since banned lead from
many products, but this metal is still a common contaminant at Brownfields
sites due to its historic use. Fortunately, EPA's Brownfields program has
helped to clean up 580 such properties throughout New England, nearly half
of all the Brownfields properties in the Region suspected of containing lead.
This effort reduces an important public health risk while promoting
community development and economic growth.
Why is lead found at Brownfields sites?
Lead is an inexpensive and versatile element used for centuries as a key
ingredient in many products and industrial processes. As a dense, malleable,
non-corrosive metal with a low melting point, lead has been pounded,
molded, shaped and even combined with other metals to make objects,
including jewelry, tableware, plumbing fixtures, water pipes, lead-solder
cans, and ammunition.
Chemists also used lead compounds to improve product performance. For
example, lead improved paint's luster, durability, water resistance, coverage,
drying time, and anti-microbial properties. The lead-based compound
tetraethyllead reduced premature combustion, or "knocking," when added to
gasoline. Lead compounds added colors to everything from ceramics to hair
dye. And farmers used lead-based pesticides, such as lead arsenate, to
control gypsy moths and other pests in the early 1900s.
While lead-based paint and leaded gasoline are frequent sources of
contamination at Brownfields sites, hazardous levels of lead pollute
abandoned foundries, ammunition factories, farms, and facilities that used or
manufactured lead-based products. Lead contamination can also be found at
former landfills and wastewater treatment plants, often the final resting
place of products and by-products containing lead.
oEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
A $200,000 Brownfields grant in 2012 jumpstarted the
redevelopment process that removed lead based
paint and other contaminants from the Tarr and
Wonson Paint Manufactory in Gloucester, MA.
New England Brownfields sites with lead
contamination and cleanup activities (as
of September 2020)
3,224 New England Brownfields
properties
1,247 properties suspected of lead
contamination
1,111 site assessments confirming
the presence of lead
580 properties with lead cleaned up
Project staff celebrate the planned removal of lead based
paint on the exterior walls of the Tarr and Wonson Paint
Manufactory in Gloucester, MA.
SCAFR

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The Colt complex in Hartford, CT now features 129
apartments, a power plant, and 315,000 square feet of
commercial space after site cleanup removed lead and
other contaminants.
''it's the perfect
example of
transforming and
revitalizing a whole
neighborhood that
had been dormant
for a long time/'
Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website at
www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact
Robert Guillemin at 617 918 1814 and
guillemin.robert@epa.gov
What are the health effects of lead?
Although lead is toxic to everyone, unborn babies and children 6 months to
3 years old are especially susceptible because they absorb lead faster and
react more strongly to its harmful effects. Specifically, lead displaces
important nutrients, including calcium, iron and zinc. Lead also disrupts the
function of glutamate, a neurotransmitter required for learning.
Consequently, lead exposure harms the production of blood cells, weakens
bones and teeth, inhibits muscle movement, and slows the proper function
of blood vessels and nerves.
While very high exposure can be deadly, moderate to high levels of lead
may cause anemia, nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, muscle and joint
weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Even low levels of lead can impact
a developing child's nervous system, resulting in neurological and behavioral
problems, such as lower IQ and hyperactivity. According to the Centers for
Disease Control, there is no known safe level of lead.
What are some typical lead exposure
pathways at Brownfields sites?
Lead can be introduced into the bloodstream through three exposure
pathways: inhalation, ingestion, and dermal exposure. The inhalation and
ingestion of lead from lead-based paint and lead-contaminated soil is the
largest concern at Brownfields sites. Exposure from drinking water and skin
contact is much less prevalent.
Examples of Lead Contaminated Sites
As shown in Table 1, Brownfields site contamination arises from a variety of
historic uses. These include buildings and structures painted before 1978, highly
trafficked areas before leaded-gasoline was banned in 1996, lead-based
pesticides that were used pre-1950, factories that manufactured lead-based
products, sewage sludge contaminated with lead found at sewage treatment
plants, and agricultural fields where sludge was applied as a fertilizer.
Table 1: Sources of Lead at Brownfields Sites
Source of Lead
Example of Previous Site Uses
Paint (before 1978)
Old structures and buildings, landfill operations,
aircraft component manufacturing
High Traffic Areas
(before 1996)
Land next to heavily trafficked roadways or
highways built before leaded fuel was phased out
Pesticides (pre-1950)
Agricultural land; facilities engaged in produce
packaging and shipping
Sewage Sludge
Sewage treatment plants; agricultural land
EPA 901-F-20-004
December 2020

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How are lead health risks addressed by Brownfields site cleanup?
Onsite workers cleaning up Brownfields sites use the following methods to remove lead, prevent it from exposing people, or stop it
from migrating into the environment.
•	Point-source contamination removal identifies and removes pipes, equipment, or other objects containing lead
•	Lead paint removal uses physical means (scraping, sandblasting and spray washing) or chemical treatment to remove lead-
based paint.
•	Excavation and disposal practices remove contaminated soil and treats it off-site, either to be returned to the project site or
used on a landfill site.
•	Encapsulation applies an adhesive barrier over lead-based paint to seal the paint to a surface and prevent the release of
paint chips or dust.
•	Immobilization addresses heavy metal contamination of groundwater by using chemical processes to fix lead and other
heavy metals to soil particles so that they cannot leach out.
How many Brownfields sites have addressed lead risks in New England?
Our Brownfields grantees have used their grant funds to assess over 3,200 sites throughout New England since the program began in
the mid-1990s. Of these sites, about 1,250 or 39 percent, were thought to be contaminated with lead. Communities and other
stakeholders conducted assessments which confirmed the presence of lead at over 1,100 of these sites and cleanups at 580 to put
these properties back into productive use.
Two examples of Brownfields lead remediation
In 1863, Gloucester's Tarr and Wonson Paint Manufactory produced the world's first anti-fouling paint for boat bottoms. In 1980, the
company shut its doors, becoming an unused and contaminated facility that was unable to attract owners despite its waterfront
location overlooking Gloucester Harbor. A $200,000 Brownfields cleanup grant in 2012 jumpstarted the redevelopment process,
removing the lead-based paint and other contaminants from the property. Today, the site is the headquarters of Ocean Alliance Inc.,
a nonprofit dedicated to whale and ocean health.
In 1847, the Colt Firearms Manufacturing company began assembling weapons in Hartford, Connecticut. By 1990, the company
ceased operations, leaving its 17-acre facility empty and contaminated with petroleum, solvents, PCBs, and heavy metals, including
lead. In 1997, a Brownfields-funded assessment project kickstarted a successful site cleanup and redevelopment. Today, the Colt
Factory complex houses 129 apartments, a power plant, and 315,000 square feet of commercial space that features two software
companies and an architectural firm.

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