Do you know if there are toxins in the local soil?
If you have kids or pets digging around in your yard, or want to plant a vegetable garden, you should take some time to consider the possibility of your soil containing potentially dangerous toxinsMost of the soil toxins are deposited by way of human activities such as driving cars, painting houses, and spraying plants with chemicals to ward off insects.Knowledge of a property's history and proximity to potential sources of contamination can provide good clues about the possibility, but only if a professional laboratory is able to determine for sure if there are dangerous amounts of toxins in the soil.
Step 1: Decide if testing is necessary.
If you don't know if you should conduct soil testing, use the following list to make up your mind.The more factors apply to your property, the more important testing becomes.Do you know if the property has any buildings that were painted before 1978 when lead paint was banned in the U.S.?Has it been sprayed with pesticides orfertilizer?There is a current or former industrial site.There is a high-traffic roadway where lead concentrations from now-banned leaded gasoline are often still high.There was pressure treated lumber that contained arsenic.There is a history of spills on it.A junkyard has been used as an auto repair garage.The site has been used for furniture refinishing.It can be built on a landfill or near one.There have been structure fires which can release toxins on it.
Step 2: There have been previous soil tests conducted on the property.
If you don't have the option of testing the soil or the property is not yours to test, investigating a property's history can turn up many useful clues.Past tests on the land in question can be found in old property records and files.Many U.S. states require disclosure of prior environmental testing when a property is sold.Before buying a property, it's a good idea to sift through the papers you receive for previous test results.
Step 3: Follow all the recommendations.
Make sure you know what to do with the soil testing results.If the results come without recommendations, you should consider hiring a professional consultant to help plot out your response.If you have test results for lead, which is the most common cause of heavy metals poisoning via soil, you should know what is recommended if your results come back at 50 parts per million.
Step 4: Find a lab that tests soil.
If you do some detective work about a property's history, past uses, and proximity to current or former sources of contaminants, you can get a good idea of whether there are excess levels of toxins in the soil.The gold standard for soil testing is done in a laboratory.For a list of laboratories that conduct soil testing, contact your local or state department of environmental resources.You will usually get the results within two to three weeks.
Step 5: You should collect soil samples for the test.
The soil collection part of the process can be used as a science experiment for teens.Proper testing requires that soil samples be taken from a number of locations on a property and be done carefully and according to plan in order to ensure the most accurate results.There are areas of the land that are low use and high use, such as where children play or where you garden.If that helps, sketch and label a simple map of the property.Regardless of size of the property, collect at least four samples from each high use area and four from low use areas.Grass and rocks need to be removed from the area.There is a hole six inches deep in the soil.Remove the sides of the hole with a spoon and fill a jar or bag with the soil.Before you use the spoon to collect another sample, clean it.The hole should be filled back in.Each sample jar or bag should be labeled with your name, collection date, what you want tested, and the location near the swing set.If you can't deliver the samples to the lab, keep them in a dry place.It will take more than a week to get them to the lab.If you mix all samples from low-use areas into a single sample, you can save money.
Step 6: An environmental consultant can be hired to conduct testing.
If you're willing to let the pros handle the whole process, you can hire an environmental consultant to evaluate the piece of land and collect samples for testing.If a site has a history or location that makes it more likely that soil will be contaminated, you should hire professionals to collect and test samples.If you don't need to know for sure, soil testing may not be necessary for a property.It costs money and sometimes a good bit of money to do proper testing.A good environmental consulting firm should be able to tell you if soil testing is a good idea.
Step 7: The most likely soil toxins are listed.
When you think of soil toxins, you might imagine toxic chemicals that have washed into the soil from pesticides or illegal waste dumping.Most of the toxic substances you will find in your local soil are heavy metals.Human activity is usually to blame when heavy metals are found in potentially dangerous concentrations.Lead is the most common cause of poisoning in humans.The EPA considers a soil concentration of 400 parts per million to be hazardous.Arsenic is a common problem.Heavy metal toxins like lead have spread widely and can appear in worrisome concentrations just about anywhere, but other toxins are usually dependent upon the current or prior uses of the soil.
Step 8: Take into account the risks of exposure.
Every toxin has different effects on the human body.Practically all of them are more dangerous to children because they are smaller and more likely to ingest soil.To find out how a particular toxin enters and impacts the human body, research it.Lead accumulates in the soft tissues of the body and eventually in bones and teeth when you ingest excessive amounts.Children with excessive lead accumulate lead that can negatively impact the nervous system, kidneys and other organs.
Step 9: Take safety precautions.
If you disturb the soil in question by planting a garden, most soil toxins are not a concern.Lead and arsenic don't get absorbed into the vegetables you plan to eat, but they can "hitch a ride" with the dirt on the plants and on your hands, shoes, clothing, etc., and eventually into your mouth.Avoid planting gardens or letting children or pets dig in areas with high lead concentrations due to lead paint and leaded gasoline.Dirt particles and soil toxins can be swallowed.For the protection of children, wash food plants or flowers thoroughly before bringing them inside; wash dirt off shoes, clothing, toys, and hands and faces regularly; and cover bare patches of dirt with grass, plants.
Step 10: Don't worry, be cautious.
There is no need to overreact if you read about the prevalence of soil toxins.When practical measures like cleaning dirt off things before they come inside and steering clear of areas that are more likely to have higher concentrations of toxins are taken, the likelihood of negative health consequences is usually low.As long as the dirt is thoroughly cleaned off, it is safe to grow food in the soil with a lead concentration greater than 75% of the EPA limit.If you are wary of composting out of fear of introducing pesticides or fungicides that are in your food scraps, know that the benefits far outweigh the risks.The soil should be tested for peace of mind.