LEAD IN SUBURBAN SOILS NEAR MAJOR ROADWAYS IN NASSAU COUNTY, NY

We hypothesized that the Lead (Pb) content of soil would decrease with distance away from a major roadway. To test this hypothesis in a suburban setting, several soil samples were collected at three locations in Nassau County, NY: at Hofstra University's student center and at Hofstra University's student garden in Hempstead, NY, and at Crossroads Farm in Malverne, NY. Soil Pb content was measured with a Niton hand-held X-Ray Fluorescence instrument. In all three locations, transects of samples indicate that the Pb content is highest immediately adjacent to the roadway, and Pb content decreases just 2-4 meters away from the curb of the roadway. Since the paint used for road lane lines is known to contain Pb, physical mechanisms that erode and transport this paint seem to be a likely mechanism to explain this pattern. Pb emissions from vehicles using leaded gasoline over several past decades probably contribute to this pattern as well.