URBAN POLLUTION INVESTIGATIONS OF GOLDMAN PARK, MIDDLETOWN OHIO: BULK CHEMISTRY REVEALS UNEXPECTED HETEROGENEITY IN METAL POLLUTION

Goldman Park is located in the city of Middletown and is immediately northeast of the AK Steel Plant, the last major steel manufacturing facility in southwestern Ohio. The park consists of several ballfields, two playgrounds, a picnic area, two large parking lots and a street that is situated between several baseball diamonds and AK Steel. This park is a considered a site of concern in regard to potential pollution. Bulk chemical analysis using both inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were conducted to investigate the extent of pollution throughout the park. Sediment from the street, parking lots and baseball fields were investigated. Generally Zn, W, Pb, Ni, Cu, Cr, Sn, and Sb exhibit concentrations of concern in street sediment. Cr is a major pollutant with concentrations that vary from 62 ppm to 288 ppm. Cr shows strong positive correlations with multiple elements such as Fe, Mo, Ni, and Mn in street sediment. Metal pollution in street sediment is interpreted to be largely derived from steel plant sources based on these correlations. Pollutant metals occur in baseball field sediment however, the concentrations are lower and the elemental ratios for many metals differ significantly. For example, concentrations of Cu and Pb are significantly lower in the ballfield sediment and Cr and Ni in the ballfield samples show no functional correlation. Results indicate the main concern for pollution and exposure is street sediment, whereas the baseball field samples show far lower concentrations of pollutants. This stark difference is interpreted to be a function of dilution where ballfield sediment is replaced periodically during maintenance. Comparison of pollutant metal concentrations to other metal studies in the region indicates extensive heterogeneity in pollution and points to complexities in sourcing pollutant metals.