SCREENING HOMES FOR SOURCES OF LEAD EXPOSURE CONDUCTED BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY: COMBINING CITIZEN SCIENCE WITH SCIENCE EDUCATION TO STUDY URBAN GEOCHEMISTRY

Blood lead levels (BLL) of about 2.5% of tested children under six in the US currently exceed 5 μg/dL, the reference level set by the Centers for Disease Control. However, what this figure does not show is the high degree of clustering of exposed children. For instance, over 21% of the 13,337 children tested in zip code 07016 (Newark, New Jersey) exceeded this reference level, while none of the 857 children tested in zip code 10709 (Eastchester, NY) did. Such disparities are vividly illustrated by an interactive map created by Thompson Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/investigates/graphics/lead-water/en/). In order of decreasing of likelihood, the clusters of high exposure likely reflect residual lead-based paint in poorly maintained pre-1970 housing, soil contaminated by lead paint or former industrial activities, and tap water contaminated by lead service lines or old in-house fixtures.

In order to help families better understand how these BLL trends may apply to their personal exposure, a dozen high school students were recruited from Westchester and Newark, including a low BLL zip code. The students were trained to collect samples of peeling paint, soil, and tap water, and record sample information, including GPS coordinates, using a smartphone app. The students were able to screen paint and soil for high levels of lead with a kit on site, and soil samples were later tested in the laboratory by X-ray fluorescence for confirmation. Water samples were tested in the laboratory by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Kit and laboratory results available from this on-going project confirm high levels of lead in paint or soil in some homes and not in others. The full set of results will be presented at the meeting.

Comparison of kit and lab results provided an avenue for students discussing key notions such as reproducibility and accuracy as well as sensitivity and selectivity. We will also present the outcome of an upcoming survey of the students and science teachers, along with recommendations for future implementation. In our opinion, the Thompson Reuters map could be the basis for a nationwide high school program along the same lines, particularly in highly affected cities such as Buffalo, New York, where a staggering 40% of blood-lead levels in tested children exceed the CDC reference level.