Study suggests link between lead and violent crime

By: Nathan Lamb

Once a staple of gasoline and paint, lead has long been recognized as a toxic contaminant, and a new study is suggesting it could have a direct relation to violent crime trends over the past 60 years.

Compiled by lead expert Dr. Howard Mielke of Tulane University, the study was featured in a recent news report by WWLTV of New Orleans.

Lead emissions from automobiles were central to the study, which evaluated more than 10,000 soil samples from around the city of New Orleans.

The study showed that areas with higher levels of lead exposure were typically the higher crime areas, adding it's likely a significant factor behind criminal tendencies.

Mielke said the problem is that automobiles brought literally tons of lead into American cities over the latter half of the 20th century. He calculated that each gallon of leaded gas released one gram of lead into the environment and, since lead is a persistent contaminant, it generally stays in place until removed.

Lead fumes rising out of contaminated soil are particularly dangerous for children, because it can impede brain development and impulse control. The study suggested a 20-year time lag between increased emissions and rising crime rates.

Lead was first used as a gasoline additive in the 1950s and was banned in 1996.

Published in August of 2012, Dr. Mielke's study tracked emissions and violence in six major cities from 1950 to 1985.

According to the study abstract, fluctuation of lead emissions appeared to explain 90 percent of the aggravated assault variations. All else being equal, the study had each 1 percent increase in emissions tonnage consistently resulting in a .46 percent increase in the aggravated assault rate a generation later.

The study also suggested increased prevention of childhood lead exposure could result in lower crime rates in the future.

In the meantime, Mielke suggested that lead contamination should be more of a national issue, noting there’s a Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, but no Clean Soil Act.

Old Chicago factory leaves persistent lead legacy

By: Nathan Lamb


An old industrial site in Chicago is being targeted for cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), after soil testing found dangerously high levels of lead contamination, according to this story from the USA Today.

Now a vacant lot in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood, the site was home to a lead factory in the 1940s.

The EPA vowed to pursue cleanup after recent tests revealed contamination across much of the property. In some cases, topsoil contained lead concentrations 57 times higher than EPA health advisory levels.

The old factory site is in a residential area and abuts a pedestrian path and city sidewalk. A community garden and elementary school are also nearby.

The dangers of lead exposure were raised in a 2006 report, where environmental officials cited initial test results and noted the site was a popular shortcut for pedestrians.

According to the EPA website, lead exposure can cause a variety of health problems,primarily in children and the elderly. Common impacts include slow growth and development in children, pregnancy complications and increased blood pressure in adults.

The EPA plans to test neighboring parcels, but did not offer specifics on the scope of that investigation.

It is unknown when the site cleanup will begin. The EPA had to secure a court order to test at the old factory site, and it’s unclear if another court order will be required to begin cleanup.

Eastern Seaboard Superfund Sites Spread Worries in Wake of Sandy

By: Duane Craig
Wherever Hurricane Sandy traveled over land and along waterfronts, the risks of all types of contamination increased. From every minor little spill to major stockpiles of contaminated land waiting for shipment to disposal facilities, the possibility increased dramatically for their contaminated payloads to be dislodged and spread around. But perhaps the potential largest threats came from Superfund sites in New Jersey and New York.

Residents in Brooklyn, N.Y. with properties near Newtown Creek and the Gowanus Canal take great precautions as they clean up their properties, wearing masks and gloves, according to this article. That’s because the nearby Superfund sites, in the process of cleanup, still harbor a rich array of heavy metals and other serious environmental contaminants. The Environmental Protection Agency has so far given the sites passing grades in terms of potential effects on the health and lives of neighbors, however a disturbing trend of sewage contamination has no doubt added to the cleanup complexities. That sewage came from sewage treatment plants that were damaged or that lost power during the storm.

In New Jersey, with 111 Superfund sites - the most of any state, according to this EPA list - residents and cleanup crews may face bigger challenges. For example, the Rarity Bay Slag Superfund site released large enough quantities of lead onto the surrounding ground to warrant warnings being placed at a nearby playground. But even modern facilities, especially those handling petrochemicals, were damaged by the storm.

New Jersey has a concentration of petroleum industries and facilities. In one case, the storm tipped a fuel storage tank, causing it to spill more than 350,000 gallons of diesel fuel into the navigation channel between New Jersey and Staten Island. At a Kinder Morgan terminal, flooding water caused an empty tank to collide with one filled with biodiesel. The spill entered a nearby waterway, according to this report. Sampling and testing continue throughout the area affected by the storm surge.

PA Homeowners Face Environmental Covenants on Their Properties Because of Lead Contamination

By: Duane Craig

Property owners near Reading, Penn. got news recently that lead contamination left over from using old batteries as fill material will likely never be completely cleaned up. The affected area is on Mt. Laurel Road in Alsace Township. People who attended a recent town meeting about planned cleanup efforts also remembered collecting battery caps from the crushed carcasses of discarded batteries when they were children.

Samples taken at four residences showed elevated levels of lead, with one having concentrations seven times the acceptable limit. A nearby well also exceeded the acceptable levels of lead, however, an official with the Department of Environmental Protection said he thought that contamination was more likely from lead solder that was used in the plumbing system.

In 2011, property owners noticed what appeared to be battery casings in random places within their yards. The DEP investigated and confirmed the material was indeed battery casings. The agency took surface soil samples and confirmed the contamination at three of the properties. A check of surface water and stream sediment found no lead contamination.

Cleanup plans include excavating and removing the battery casing material as well as the contaminated soil. Following that, work crews will grade the area and plant grass. The cost of the project is expected to be $500,000.

Even after the cleanup is complete, the DEP said, the properties will still end up having environmental covenants on them that will alert future owners to the lead contamination history. You can read a news article on this topic here, and a statement from the DEP here.

Coal Ash Spill Ruled Negligent

By: Duane Craig


Hundreds of property owners who have taken the Tennessee Valley Authority to court over the 2008 spill of contaminated sludge near Kingston, Tenn., were pleased with a judge’s opinion that TVA is liable for damages stemming from the spill, according to this report.

Still, many admit they will never recover what they lost and that any settlements will not change the damage that’s been done. The spill released 5 million cubic yards of ash that was being stored in a containment pond. The material contained all the by-products released from the burning of coal, including “arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and other metals.” The sludge flowed into a river and contaminated land all along its course, ultimately making the waterway unsafe for many of the uses residents previously enjoyed. After more than $1.2 billion has been spent on the cleanup, there remains more to do. A half million cubic yards of ash have settled onto the river bottom where it will simply remain, potentially be capped, or be removed.

TVA had claimed there was nothing it could have done to prevent the failure since there were things beyond its ability to control that precipitated the catastrophe. The judge, however, called into question the utility’s handling of the ash, writing that it did not follow its own procedures, policies and practices which caused it to miss the warning signs of impending failure. By not recognizing those signs the utility failed to take actions that could have prevented the disaster.
To date, the utility has purchased 180 of the affected properties and settled 200 other claims. Still, there is a case load involving more than 800 plaintiffs in the court system.

The Environmental Protection Agency published a list of the coal ash surface impoundments that have high hazard ratings. The list is published to help local responders and community officials adequately plan for other such disasters. As of April 2012 the agency had identified 676 places where coal ash is being stored and found 45 of those to be highly hazardous.

States with the heaviest concentrations of these ticking time bombs include Arizona, North Carolina and Ohio. Arizona’s problems are located in Cochise and Joseph City while North Carolina’s problems are more widespread at Spencer, Eden, Terrell, Belmont, Walnut Cove, Arden and Mount Holly. Ohio has potential spills in Brilliant, Cheshire and Waterford. Kentucky also has its share of troubled impoundments including Harrodsburg, Ghent, Louisa and Louisville.

Other states with troubled coal ash impoundments include Montana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana and West Virginia.

Communities Take Aim at Shooting Range Contamination

By: Duane Craig
 

People who live near the Little Rock Air Force Base can breathe easier knowing lead contamination there has been mitigated, according to this article in the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System.


The project involved cleaning 15 acres of lead contamination left over from decades of shooting range use. After clearing 18,000 tons of contaminated soil, workers planted 3,000 trees on the newly mulched land. The shooting range operated during the 1960s and 1970s, leaving behind what was described as "extreme levels of lead."

Shooting ranges targeted for causing contamination

Shooting range contamination is being more widely recognized and addressed, and perhaps not surprisingly, the indoor ranges get a fair amount of scrutiny. In one case, reported in a Houston Chronicle article, a shooting range in the basement of a middle school was closed down in Sheboygan, Wis. The fact the range was inside a school was unusual, and even though the shooting club adopted procedures to make sure lead was reduced in the ambient air, that wasn't enough to keep the range open at that location.

In a case near Chambersburg, Pa., a shooting range adjacent to the city's water supply was closed in part because of contamination concerns, but it is being considered for reopening if the appropriate management practices can be put into place, according to a report in Public Opinion.

Old Maryland Dump Lives On

By: Duane Craig

Montgomery County, Md., is considering ways to deal with contamination from its oldest dump, according to this article on Gazette.Net. But first, it had to trade other land to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for 16.5 acres of Rock Creek Park. That acreage was mistakenly used as part of the dump up until 1982 when it closed.

In 2009, the Maryland Department of the Environment found water quality below state standards in the area of the dump, and after further investigation, it discovered trash had been buried 250 feet beyond the dump's northeast boundary. The dump is known as the Gude Landfill, and it is slated for cleanup action once officials decide what that will involve. Contaminants at the landfill and in the local groundwater include trichloroethene, or TCE, vinyl chloride, lead, mercury and arsenic.

In the nearby neighborhoods of Derwood Station and Hollybrooke, a group of concerned citizens says government officials are downplaying the risks of the contamination but are moving in the right direction to get the contamination cleaned up. Options on the table include removing the trash or capping it and leaving it in place. The county's environmental department will provide a study to the state environment department in November. The state will then decide what cleanup actions to take.

Cleanup Plans Adjusted at Montana Superfund Site

By: Duane Craig

In September soils testing begins in Black Eagle, Montana, at the new Superfund site called ACM Smelter and Refinery. The site was just added to the Superfund program in March 2011.

Heavy metals found in residential properties

According to a Great Falls Tribune article heavy metals have been found in some residential yards so the testing will begin with 90 properties. The investigation will be looking for lead, arsenic and cadmium, and other heavy metals. Later on, the investigation will focus on the places where refinery operations took place, and places where waste was dumped, including the Missouri River. Great Falls is right across the Missouri River from the site.

Some cleanup related to the site was supposed to happen earlier this year but didn't because it was decided the higher priority would be cleanups where people live. The earlier planned cleanup was supposed to be along an abandoned rail line that was used to run waste down to the river for disposal. That cleanup was delayed so it wouldn't interfere with reconstruction plans for Smelter Avenue.
This site has a long and colorful history including a celebratory story about the smokestack that provided much of the soil contamination in the area. The smelter and refinery operated from 1893 to the early 1970s, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's website.

Whoops, TCE and PCE on the Move Again at Bennington Superfund Site

By: Duane Craig

A very deep trench is proposed to subvert the movement of contamination from a former landfill in Bennington, Vermont, according to this article in the VTDigger.org. The landfill is also a formerly active Superfund site with remediation completed in 1999, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Groundwater contamination found in Barney Brook

Trichloroethylene, or TCE, and tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, have escaped from the landfill which was previously capped and adorned with a soil vapor extraction system. Apparently the groundwater flow changed and some contamination has been found in a tributary to Barney Brook. For six years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the landfill was a dumping place for industrial wastes from local companies. Those wastes included polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, organic solvents and lead. These wastes were dumped into a lagoon that was not lined to prevent absorption into the soil.

In 1976, a system was installed to lower the groundwater beneath the landfill by carrying it away to an unlined, pond area. Ten years later PCBs, lead, arsenic, benzene and ethylbenzene were flowing into the pond, according to this EPA report.

The new trench will be 25 feet deep and 200 feet long. Because it goes down to impervious soil it is expected to catch the contaminants. The bottom of the trench will be filled with sand and iron shavings to break down the contaminants and stop their movement.

Lead Contamination Spread Around More Than Thought

By: Duane Craig

Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska continues to surprise with more lead and antimony showing up in the soil, according to this report at KTVA Channel 11. It's a heavily used park and now the new soccer field is testing positive for lead contamination.

Biathlon left lead contamination in berms.

This is where skiers used to ski and shoot at the same time. Called a biathlon, the practice left thousands of lead bullets in the earthen mound behind targets. Over the years, as changes were made to the park, the lead-filled dirt was spread around to raise low areas. Nobody knows just when the dirt was moved but it is currently estimated the volume of contaminated soil could equal a thousand cubic yards.

Once the cleanup begins the contaminated soil will be removed, coated to encapsulate the lead and then disposed of. Costs are expected to be between $500,000 and $1 million. The city is working to get responsible parties to pay their shares of the total but that is dependent upon the outcome of a lawsuit
 that is currently in court.

Locating the contaminated soil is challenging and requires visual examination and using metal detectors. There's more on this story, here.

Fish Bones Solve Lead Contamination

Pyromorphite used to mitigate lead contamination.

By: Duane Craig
What do you get when you combine a paste made from fish bones with lead? Pyromorphite. What's significant about that is it could be a much less costly way to mitigate lead contamination in soils.
A 2001 Environmental Protection Agency report noted how phosphate would bind with lead and cause it to become a crystalline substance known as pyromorphite. Calcium phosphate is a chief component of bone and once it reacts with lead the resulting material so far appears to decrease in solubility and bioavailability, meaning it remains stable while binding up the lead. Since pollock bones retain little meat residue after processing, they are especially well suited for this process.
Now, according to this report in Business & Health, the technique is set to be used on residential lots that are contaminated by lead. The area is in Oakland, California in the South Prescott neighborhood. So far it has been used on lead contamination at military bases, mines, universities and commercial labs.
It is widely reported that America has such a serious lead contamination problem that it will never be cleaned up. For many decades motor vehicles spewed out lead because the gasoline was leaded to prevent the valves from fouling. Another prime source of lead in soils is lead-based paint that was used on buildings.

TVA Fossil Plants Report Groundwater Contamination

By: Duane Craig

Tennessee Valley fossil-fuel plants contaminating groundwater

The Tennessee Valley Authority, operator of 21 fossil fueled power plants, three nuclear power plants, 29 hydroelectric dams, 14 solar power generation sites, 18 wind turbines and one methane-assisted fossil fuel power plant, has been told by its own inspector general that eight of nine fossil-fueled plants with groundwater monitoring had contaminants in the groundwater that exceeded federal limits.
The OIG also said the TVA, a wholly-owned but self-funded agency of the U.S. government, was in some cases not performing the monitoring required by its permits.
Two plants named in the OIG's report were placed on the highest severity assessment for exceeding a health based groundwater protection standard. The Cumberland plant, northwest of Nashville, was one of those, and Gallatin was the other. Both plants are on the Cumberland River.
Two other plants, Bull Run and John Sevier were placed on Phase II assessment for a significant increase in contaminants above the background levels. Bull Run is near Oak Ridge, Tennessee and the John Sevier plant is near Rogersville, Tennessee. According to its own account, the John Seveir plant released more than 5,000 pounds of toxins into water there in 2009, including nickel compounds, lead compounds, copper compounds, chromium compounds, barium compounds, arsenic compounds and ammonia. The plant also released 31 million tons of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide into the air in 2010.
You can review all the reports of the TVA's OIG here.

CT Well Contamination Woes

October 10, 2010 - A resurgence of a long-standing neighborhood contamination problem has forced several Harwinton Avenue residents to abandon their wells for drinking water, and neighbors are calling for a water line as a long-term solution.

Wells at nine homes tested positive for contaminants including lead, arsenic, nickel and cadmium after the Department of Environmental Protection sampled them earlier this year. Dismayed at the prospect of a future of state-supplied bottled water and water filters, residents attended a meeting with the mayor and representatives of the DEP and the Torrington Area Health District late last month.

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Westlawn, MA Residents Learn of Contamination

September 24, 2010 - Contaminants at the Parker Street waste site extend onto the Westlawn housing development but pose no imminent hazard to people who live there, environmental and health officials told residents at a meeting at Keith Middle School Thursday night.

But as Jacqueline Torres sat, confused, after the brief presentation, she illustrated a problem that's much easier to spot: officials who say people are in no immediate danger and residents who don't feel safe.

"Like any other parent, I'm worried — worried and concerned," said the mother of three, who said she has a 21-year-old daughter at Westlawn in remission from cancer of the lymph nodes. "She went through so much with the cancer, I don't want her to get sick because of any other reason."

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The Earth Will Move: Poisoned CT Neighborhood Braces For Epic Cleanup

August 22, 2010 - Think of it as the big scrape.

An entire neighborhood, poisoned for decades by industrial waste buried beneath homes, yards, schools and playgrounds, is poised for the largest residential cleanup in state history.

Starting Monday, the top four feet of earth in 18 square blocks will be scooped up and hauled away. Clean soil will replace it and trees, lawns, bushes and shrubs will be replanted. The whole process will take up to five years and 230 houses will be affected.

For the Newhall neighborhood, it’s a $60 million do-over.

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Superfund Cleanup in Idaho Draws Local Opposition

August 13, 2010 - People who live around a toxic former silver mining complex in Idaho have a message for federal environmental officials who want to expand a lengthy cleanup effort: Go home, your help is no longer wanted.

Despite the government's best intentions, some locals think a prolonged federal presence will scare away businesses by sending a message that the Silver Valley is a dangerous place to live. Residents and politicians in this conservative region also believe it's a waste of taxpayer dollars and that the real intention of the government is to shut down the remaining mines.

"They've got their environmental science degree from some place like Berkeley and they drive their Prius to the back hills of Idaho and here are a bunch of miners and they want to do what they think is best for us," said attorney James McMillan.

The Environmental Protection Agency has spent nearly 20 years cleaning up the Superfund site in Kellogg that was once one of the most-polluted places in the country, with arsenic and lead stripping the hillsides of vegetation and poisoning the blood of children.

The cleanup efforts have greened the mountains and improved human health, although pollution still exists. Some streams and rivers are so polluted that stretches have no aquatic life, and migrating swans that land on them die.

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Contamination Leaves RI Residents Feeling Blue

August 13, 2010 - Residents of the Bay Street neighborhood in Tiverton have been living a nightmare for nearly a decade, since sewer work uncovered soil so contaminated, much of it was blue in color. Since that time, the long-suffering residents have encountered delay after delay and roadblock after roadblock in their quest to get the neighborhood cleaned up and return to a normal life.

They thought they had finally turned the corner this year when the cleanup began. But they have been dealt another frustrating setback. Now the town and the state must step in and take control. It is way past time for those in power to work for their constituents.

The saga began in 2002 when the contaminated soil was first discovered. The former Fall River Gas Co. is accused of using the neighborhood as a dumping ground, callously and illegally discarding such dangerous substances as petroleum, arsenic, cyanide and lead. Since the discovery, the residents have been trapped on poisoned land they had no chance of selling.

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Clean Water Laws Neglected, Leaving US Residents Paying Price

September 18, 2009- Jennifer Hall-Massey knows not to drink the tap water in her home near Charleston, W.Va. In fact, her entire family tries to avoid any contact with the water. Her youngest son has scabs on his arms, legs and chest where the bathwater - polluted with lead, nickel and other heavy metals - caused painful rashes. Many of his brother's teeth were capped to replace enamel that had been eaten away.

Neighbors apply special lotions after showering because their skin burns. Tests show that their tap water contains arsenic, barium, lead, manganese and other chemicals at concentrations federal regulators say could contribute to cancer and damage the kidneys and nervous system.

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Cleanup Starts in Rhode Island Neighborhood With Blue Soil

August 31, 2009 - The project starting Monday will remove the soil polluted with arsenic, cyanide, lead and other contaminants to a depth of two feet from about 100 properties. Houston-based Southern Union agreed to pay $11.5 million for the cleanup to end a lawsuit filed by residents.

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Getting the Lead Out of Evansville, IN.

August 24, 2009- Some of Evansville's oldest and poorest neighborhoods are on the verge of becoming a Superfund site targeted for a widespread cleanup of soils contaminated with lead from the smokestacks of factories long gone. But children there will remain at risk because of the area's aging homes even after the cleanup is complete.

What makes the need for the cleanup so compelling, officials said, is the number of residential properties and the possibility that children will be exposed to the lead through contact with the soil.

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