INVESTIGATIONS OF ROAD SEDIMENT IN AN INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR NEAR LOW INCOME HOUSING IN HAMILTON, OHIO INDICATE LEAD, ZINC AND COPPER CONTAMINATION OCCURS

Hamilton, Ohio is representative of numerous post-industrial Midwestern cities that face a long term environmental recovery from an extensive legacy of manufacturing. One area of concern is the extent and nature of metal pollution. This investigation is a survey of road sediment from an industrial corridor near low income housing. Among samples, the concentrations of the major elements aluminum and silicon and the rare earth elements lanthanum and cerium, all correlate strongly with one another in strong linear relationships. Iron concentrations also correlate linearly with the aforementioned with the exception of 4 abnormally high samples. These linear correlations indicate a single dominant geochemical source contributes to the region and compositions are consistent with previous background studies. Elements of concern present in the samples and average concentrations are As (4 ppm), Co (7 ppm), Cr (34 ppm), Cu (245 ppm), Pb (468 ppm), Sn (3 ppm), V (24 ppm), and Zn (611 ppm). Copper, lead, and zinc have concentrations that are demonstrably higher than environmental background and are of most concern from the perspective of environmental health. Correlations exist between several of the elements of concern, including zinc and copper, lead and chromium, zinc and lead, and chromium and cobalt. These correlations show in some cases multiple populations are present. This suggests that there are multiple sources of pollution with elemental signatures and that further refined statistical work and isotopic studies may enable identification and modelling of pollution components. This investigation compliments existing environmental studies of the region and demonstrates the need for more environmental forensic investigations.