LEAD-BASED PAINT AS A CONTAMINANT IN SOILS IN CLINTON, NEW YORK

Lead from paint represents the most common source of residential lead contamination. Lead-based paint applied to the exterior of houses will eventually weather and become incorporated into the soil. Soil particles can be transported and taken up by humans. In this study, we sampled and analyzed soil from eight houses built in four different time periods in Clinton, New York, a village established in 1797. Samples were taken from four sides of each house at different distances. Visual inspection of the soil showed that the highest concentration of observable paint was located at the drip-line of the wall. In addition, a set of vertical samples was taken from each house. Lead analyses were performed using acid digestion and ICP-MS. Total carbon and grain size analyses were also performed to test for correlation between lead content and soil properties.