DISTRIBUTION OF LEAD WHEEL WEIGHTS IN AN URBAN SETTING AND LEAD CONTAMINATION IN SOIL ALONG URBAN ROADSIDES: DETERMINING THE HAZARD TO HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT AND INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS

Lead contamination in the environment has been of great concern in the US since the early 1970’s. Lead pollution has originated from smelting facilities, lead drinking water pipes, lead solder on pipes, lead based paints and leaded gasoline fallout from automobiles and light trucks. The successful reduction of most of these sources of lead pollution has left lead wheel weights as the largest new source of lead contamination of the environment. A significant amount of lead wheel weights are distributed along urban roadways. These weights are worn down and ground up into small particles and dust. These particles can contaminate roadside soils due to rain water runoff or dust particle fallout. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has determined that lead is dangerous through chronic exposure in moderate or low levels which can damage the developing nervous system of young children. The EPA standards for lead particles contained in soil are 400 ppm for residential areas and 1200 ppm for commercial areas. The EPA has also determined that lead is a hazard if there is greater than 40 micrograms of lead dust per square foot in a home or business. Lead dust particles or soil containing lead can be picked up and transported into homes and businesses. The goal of this research is to bring about public awareness to the negative impact lead contamination has on the environment and public health as a result of the loss of lead wheel weights from automobiles and light trucks and the resulting lead contamination in roadside soil.

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of lead particle contamination that has been deposited in roadside soil from the deposition of lead wheel weights from automobiles. The study site is a 2.3 mile area on a busy urban highway in Powder Springs, Georgia that has been studied for wheel weight deposition and soil contamination. Lead wheel weights were collected in this area from August, 2010 to June, 2011. There were 346 lead weights collected with a total weight of 7,882 grams and with an average length of 3.95 cm. There were 12 soil samples taken from 4 different locations along the highway in the study area and analysis was done to determine the ppm of lead that was contained in each soil sample.