The Worcester Roots Project

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The Worcester Roots Project

• Using Plants to Repair the Soil

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Workshop Outline

• The Food Projects work
• short overview on the food project,
• the history of the Dudley community
• a history of the Urban Education program,
• and our soil testing and remediation methods
• 4. Interactive Game
• 5. Wrap Up

• Introductions
• The Worcester Roots Project
• Effects of Lead on Health
• Lead Statistics by Geography
• Legal Climate
• Risk of Soil Lead
• Remediation Options
• good growing practices
• reducing bioavailability
• reducing exposure
• phytoremediation

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OUR MISSION The primary purpose of the Worcester
Roots Project is direct action to remove
contamination by lead, other heavy metals, and
hydrocarbons from Worcester soils. Our aim is
to empower communities to protect their
environmental health.
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Health Effects

• Lead poisoning interferes with the development of
  the nervous system, bones, reproductive system,
  endocrine system, and kidneys. It causes reading
  problems, learning disabilities, reductions in
  IQ, and attention span.
• Numerous studies show that every 10 mcg/dL
  increase of blood lead level results in a 2-7
  point decrease in IQ. From Jacobs, David E. The
  Health Effects of Lead on the Human Body, Lead,
  Perspectives Magazine (November/December 1996).
• Lead poisoning is the most common and most
  preventable environmental public health problem
  (ATSDR).

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Health Effects, cont.

• Children absorb lead (50) more readily than
  adults (5).
• A study by Joplin revealed that children who have
  eaten breakfast absorb 2-10 of the lead they
  ingest, whereas children who have fasted absorb
  50-80.
• Eating foods high in calcium, phosphorus, and
  iron reduce the rate of lead absorption.
• Adults store inert lead in their bones. It is
  mobilized during pregnancy and lactation,
  especially if mothers have calcium deficiency.
• Unless the mother is lead poisoned, breast milk
  contains comparable amounts of lead as formula
  and cows milk.

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RISKS FROM EXCESSIVE CHRONIC DIETARY LEAD

• Most Important Soil-Pb Risk is to Children
• Children absorb a higher fraction of dietary Pb.
• Children are more exposed due to hand-to-mouth
  play.
• Health Effects from Excessive Absorbed Pb
• US Geometric mean for children, 2002 3.5
  µg/dL
• Neurobehavioral Impairment 10-15 µg/dL
• I.Q. Reduction behavior problems.
• Hearing loss.
• Balance instability.
• Interfere with enzymes anemia. 40 µg/dL
• . . .
• Encephalitis. 100 µg/dL
• Death.

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Nation Still at Risk

• Nearly 1 million children under the age of six
  have blood lead levels higher than the lead
  safety threshold of 10 mcg/dL that has been
  established by the U.S. Centers for Disease
  Control and Prevention.
• From Screening Young Children for Lead
  Poisoning Guidance for State and Local Public
  Health Officials. U.S. Centers for Disease
  Control and Prevention, 1997.
• 64 million homes in the United States contain
  lead paint.
• From Report on the National Survey of Lead-Based
  Paint in Housing, Base Report. U.S. Environmental
  Protection Agency, Office of Pollution,
  Prevention and Toxics, April 1995.

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Nation at Risk, cont.

• Over 80 percent of all homes built before 1978 in
  the U.S. have lead-based paint in them. The older
  the house, the more likely it is to contain
  lead-based paint and a higher concentration of
  lead in the paint.
• From What Every Parent Should Know About Lead
  Poisoning in Children. U.S. Centers for Disease
  Prevention and Control.
• Children of some racial and ethnic groups living
  in older housing are disproportionately affected
  by lead. For example, 22 of black children and
  13 of Mexican-American children living in
  housing built before 1946 have elevated blood
  lead levels compared with 6 of white children
  living in comparable types of housing.

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Massachusetts at Risk

• Lead poisoning is steadily declining is MA.
• In 1998, 1 out of 35 children screened in MA had
  blood lead levels of 10 ug/dL or greater.
• MA has the second largest stock of old homes
  (before 1950) at 47. The state leads the nation
  in the number of old homes occupied by tenant
  families.

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UGROWUrban Garden Resources Of Worcester, a
project of theRegional Environmental Council

• HOMES
• 11,000 houses in WORCESTER County have a high
  risk of lead hazards.
• Source EPA / CDC Searches using Scorecard.org
  (Environmental Defense)

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Legal Climate - Lead Paint

• 1978-lead paint banned in the US.
• 1986- leaded gasoline banned in the US.
• Bensome vs. Kokoras (1984) establishes the
  precedent that homeowners are liable for the
  exposure of children to lead.
• In MA, lead screening is mandatory for children
  under six.
• Lead paint abatement is mandatory in homes where
  children under six live. This is enforced by the
  City Department of Public Health, which visits
  homes where children with elevated lead have been
  identified.

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Legal Climate - Lead Paint cont.

• There is a state tax credit for deleading. There
  are also no and low interest loans and mortgage
  refinancing available for deleading.
• As of 2000, moderate risk deleading is an option,
  where homeowners can get certified to delead
  their own properties.
• A deleaded home is not a lead free home.
  Renovations reveal lead paint that has been
  covered up by wallpaper, siding, or encapsulating
  paint.
• A study comparing Worcester county and Providence
  Country concluded that the Massachusetts policy,
  which requires lead paint abatement of childrens
  homes and places liability for lead paint
  poisoning on property owners may have
  substantially reduced childhood lead poisoning.

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Properties receiving federal assistance may need
to have the soil tested under HUD regulations.
Soils with 5000 ppm or more must be abated. This
involves removing the top 6 inches of soil and
adding at least 2 inches of clean soil OR paving
OR deep tilling. There are no state regulations
requiring soil testing or remediation.
Photo Source Reducing Childrens Risk from Lead
in Soil Ryan et al. 1/1/04 Environmental Health
and Technology
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How Much Lead is Too Much?

• Under 400 ppm Urban Background
• 400-1200 ppm Hazard for Garden and Play Areas
• Over 1200 ppm Hazard for All Soils
• (EPA, 2003)
• Soil is tested using composite sampling and mass
  spectroscopy or X-ray fluorescence.

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Risk from Soil Pb is through Soil Ingestion, not
from Garden Foods.

• If Good Urban Gardening Practices are followed,
  garden crop Pb is increased only slightly when
  soil Pb is 500-1000 µg/g.
• Living in an area with soil Pb in excess of 500
  to 2000 mg/kg may increase children's blood Pb
  significantly (HUD CDC EPA). 
• Thus, the dominant pathway for soil Pb risk to
  humans is inadvertent soil ingestion by infants
  and children.
• To prevent this risk, one can move the child
  remove and replace the contaminated soil or
  treat the soil to reduce soil Pb bioavailability.

Source Rufus Chaney, USDA
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Source Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh, Univ.
Southern Maine
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Source Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh, Univ.
Southern Maine
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Source Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh, Univ.
Southern Maine
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Source Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh, Univ.
Southern Maine
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RISK OF SOIL/DUST Pb TO CHILDREN

• Some soils contain substantial levels of CaCO3,
  or other alkalinity which can neutralize stomach
  acidity. Any process which prevents stomach
  acidification should reduce soil Pb
  bioavailability.
• Absorption of soluble Pb compounds during fasting
  is about 60-80, but only 1-5 when ingested with
  a nutritious complex meal.
• Prolonged fasting by urban poor children may be a
  primary causal factor in their Pb absorption and
  Pb-disease compared to suburban children.

Source Rufus Chaney, USDA
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Bioavailability of Soil Pb to Humans Under
Fasting or Fed Condition.Results of human
feeding studies with soil from the Bunker Hill
Superfund Site (Maddaloni et al., 1998).
Group Age Weight Pb Dose Soil Dose
Bioavailability N6 yrs kg
µg mg Fasted
28 59.7 213 72.9 26.2
(18.0-35.6) Fed 28 67.9 242
82.9 2.52 (0.2-5.2)
Source Rufus Chaney, USDA
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Soil Remediation Options

• Remove contamination Remove the lead through
  excavation (2 million/acre) or phytoremediation.
  
• Reduce exposure Cover soil with mulch, stone,
  new soil, or raised beds. Keep soil out of bodies
  by moving play and garden areas, using a doormat,
  removing dirty shoes and clothes outside, and
  washing vegetables.
• Stabilize soil Keep lead in place by planting
  grasses and bushes.
• Reduce Bioavailability Add compost or phosphates
  to bind lead as chloropyromorphite.
  Bioavailability reduces by 20 to 43.

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Good Gardening Practices to Reduce Soil Lead
Riskfrom UMASS

• Locate gardens away from old painted structures
  and heavily traveled roads.
• Give planting preferences to fruiting crops
  (tomatoes, squash, peas, sunflowers, corn, etc.).
• Discard old and outer leaves before eating leafy
  vegetables. Peel root crops. Wash all produce.
• Incorporate organic materials such as finished
  compost, humus, and peat moss.
• Lime soil as recommended by soil test (pH 6.5
  minimizes lead availability).
• Keep dust to a minimum by maintaining a mulched
  and/or moist soil surface .

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In Practice, Incorporating Compost Reduces Pb
Risks in Several Ways.

• Highest Pb is usually on soil surface.
  Incorporation of compost with rototiller mixes Pb
  with tillage depth.
• Phosphate and Fe in compost transform soil Pb
  into forms with much lower bioavailability.
• Compost amendment supports strong growth of
  turfgrass, making it much more difficult to eat
  the soil or drag it into your house.
• Can measure highest Pb near house using XRF and
  remove that soil to landfill before incorporating
  compost and tilling.

Source Rufus Chaney, USDA
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Biosolids Compost Amendment Can Reduce Soil Pb
Risks.

• Compost increases Pb adsorption by most soils.
• Organic Matter, Phosphate, Hydrous Fe oxides,
  CaCO3
• Modern biosolids composts contain low levels of
  Pb Pb was removed from gasoline, food, and
  water industrial pretreatment.
• Compost application reduces plant uptake of Pb.
• Compost Pb has very low bioavailability based on
  feeding studies with livestock. Identified a
  no-effect level of 300 mg Pb/kg dry biosolids fed
  at up to 10 of diet.

Source Rufus Chaney, USDA
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Joplin Soils -- Preliminary Results
Phosphate Amendment Reduced Soil Pb
Bioavailability to Humans
Group Age Weight Pb Dose Soil Dose
Bioavailability yr kg
µg mg ,
Absolute Untreated 29.6 62.2 238
45.7 42.2
(26.3-51.7) P-Treated 34.5 72.2 261
61.5 13.1
(10.5-15.8)
Maddaloni et al., 2001 unpublished.
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Effect of Depth in Soil and Distance FromPainted
Wall on Pb in "Houseside Soil

• Side of
  House
• Distance Depth A B
  C
• m cm ----mg
  Pb/kg dry soil----
• 0-1 0-5 1050 44700 7330
• 5-10 1060 20600 4680
• 10-15 940 7270 3300
• 5 0-5 431 110 298
• 5-10 404 2020 366
• 10-15 400 2110 286
• 10 0-5 194 1940 730
• 5-10 162 374 686
• 10-15 248 2175 452

Source Rufus Chaney, USDA
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Low Maintenance Groundcovers

• Pachysandra (Japanese Spurge)
• Vinca Minor (Myrtle or Periwinkle)
• thrives in wet conditions

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Groundcovers, cont.

• Hedera Helix (Baltic Ivy)
• Juniperus communis (Juniper)
• Kentucky Bluegrass

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Phytoremediation - using plants to remove
contaminants

• Advantages
• Inexpensive
• Does not disrupt ecosystem
• Low-tech, accessible
• Metals can be reclaimed

• Disadvantages
• Remediation confined to depth of roots
• Leaching into groundwater is not prevented
• Time consuming
• Bioaccumulation risk

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Phytoremediation Research

• Edenspace, corp. reduced lead levels by 75 on
  the site of an old battery factory in NJ in 1995.
• In Boston residential areas, Edenspace used
  Indian mustard to reduce lead to safe levels.

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Phytoremediation Particulars

• Species
• Indian and Japanese Mustard
• Brassicas
• Scented Geraniums
• Corn
• Pumpkins
• Sunflowers
• Penny Cress
• Amaranth
• Nettles
• Tomatoes

• Methods
• Pre- and post- soil testing is required. UMASS
  offers the test for 9.
• Plant tissue testing is helpful. UMASS offers
  this test for 14.
• Phytoremediation is aided by use of a chelating
  agent (acidic substance) to mobilize the lead.
• Without a chelating agent, one can expect a
  decrease of 20-25 of soil lead in six weeks.
• Plants store lead in their cell vacuoles,
  especially in the roots and shoots.

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Intellectual Property Rights

• Edenspace corp. is the leading researcher in
  phytoremediation. They hold patents for the use
  of a number of phytoremediator species.
• University of Guelf (Canada) holds the patent for
  the use of pelargoniums for remediation.

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Phytoremediation Data 2003
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Phytoremediation Data 2004
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THE URBAN SOIL LEAD ABATEMENT STUDY
Effect of Replacing Soil With 1790 mg Pb/kg on
Blood-Pb in 1-4 year old Boston Children with
elevated Blood-Pb Levels (Weitzman et al., 1993).

• Sample Time Treatment Group
• SoilDust Dust Control
• ------------------µg/dL------------------
• Pre-Abatement 13.10 12.37 12.02
• 6 Mo. Post. 10.19 8.85 9.83
• 11 Mo. Post. 10.65 11.49 11.35

Source Rufus Chaney, USDA
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THE URBAN SOIL LEAD ABATEMENT STUDY
Soil containing 1790 mg Pb/kg was replaced.
Blood-Pb declined 0.8-1.6 µg/dL due to the
independent effect of soil replacement.

• ! ... suggests that lead-contaminated soil
  abatement is not likely to be a useful clinical
  intervention for the majority of urban children
  in the United States with low-level lead
  exposure.
• ! Paint-Pb remains the most important source of
  Pb risk to urban children in the US.
• ! Possible that the effectiveness of the soil
  abatement may have been reduced because the
  children had been exposed to high Pb soil/dust
  before the abatement, and decline in Blood-Pb
  may not occur as rapidly as rise upon exposure.

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Other Evidence...
Aschengrau, et a. 1997. Paint hazard remediation
combined with soil abatement reduces childrens
blood level 5.4 ug/dL more than paint hazard
remediation alone.
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2005 Action Plan

• Education
• Organize and disseminate data on the
  effectiveness of phytoremediation field tests.
• Host 10 community workshops on environmental
  health and racism.
• Create internships for 3 college students and
  work with 40 volunteers.

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2005 Action Plan cont.

• Direct Action
• Create and distribute a soil remediation kit
  including appropriate seeds and safety
  information to 20 residences where children have
  elevated lead levels.
• Remediate three sites with pelargoniums,
  groundcovers, or organic matter.
• Advocacy
• Strengthen partnership with the City of Worcester
  lead office and City Council by working jointly
  on an EPA grant.
• Work for a change in the MA lead law so that soil
  lead testing and abatement are required in
  childrens yards.

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2005 Action Plan cont.

• Networking and Growth
• Finalize our tax-exempt 501(c)3 status.
• Build the membership of our organization.
• Formalize a safety protocol for volunteers and
  residents doing remediation.

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www.WorcesterRoots.orghttp//lists.riseup.net/ww
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erhuppert_at_yahoo.com