ANALYSIS OF METAL CONCENTRATIONS, SOIL HEALTH, AND SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS IN A FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SOIL SURVEY

This project investigated correlations between soil quality and environmental justice factors in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia. We began by using a two-stage cluster sampling method to determine soil sample sites. One census block was randomly selected within each of the twenty census blocks within Fredericksburg, Virginia, according to the 2020 US Census. A composite soil sample from 0-10 cm was collected in 2023 from public property within the block. Additional sites were added in 2024. We then analyzed the total and bioavailable concentrations of a suite of metals along with multiple soil factors (pH, texture, organic matter content) to be compared with socioeconomic data collected from the 2020 US Census Database. Preliminary findings indicate that there may be correlations between soil and socioeconomic factors. Lower levels of education were correlated with higher soil concentrations of both total lead and zinc. Higher percentages of white residents were inversely correlated with total concentrations of lead, zinc, and manganese. Higher bioavailable lead concentrations were correlated with higher populations on public assistance. Further samples and analyses are ongoing after finding these correlations.