Lead in Air, Soil, and Blood: Pb Poisoning in a Changing World.

(1) Background: Leaded petrol became a worldwide vehicle fuel during the 20th century. While leaded petrol was totally banned on 30 August 2021, its lead (Pb) dust legacy remains in the environment as soil Pb. The health impacts of Pb are well known and risks occur when exposures are above zero.

Effectiveness of washing in reducing lead concentrations of lettuce grown in urban garden soils.

Urban gardeners contribute to sustainable cities and often take great care to limit exposure to soil contaminants like lead (Pb). Although best management practices (BMPs) like mulching to reduce soil splash can limit crop contamination, they may not eliminate all contamination for leafy greens, which trap soil particles. How effective is washing at removing Pb contamination from leafy greens when using BMPs? Are certain washing techniques more effective than others? We present results from two experiments addressing these questions.

Soil lead (Pb) and urban grown lettuce: Sources, processes, and implications for gardener best management practices.

Urban community gardeners employ a range of best practices that limit crop contamination by toxicants like lead (Pb). While Pb root uptake is generally low, the relative significance of various Pb deposition processes and the effectiveness of best practices in reducing these processes have not been sufficiently characterized. This study compared leafy lettuce (Lactuca sativa) grown in high Pb (1150 mg/kg) and low Pb (90 mg/kg) soils, under three different soil cover conditions: 1) bare soil, 2) mulch cover to limit splash, and 3) mulch cover under hoophouses to limit splash and air deposition, in a New York City (NYC) community garden and a rural site in Ithaca, New York (NY).

Soil Lead (Pb) in New Orleans: A Spatiotemporal and Racial Analysis.

Spatialized racial injustices drive morbidity and mortality inequalities. While many factors contribute to environmental injustices, Pb is particularly insidious, and is associated with cardio-vascular, kidney, and immune dysfunctions and is a leading cause of premature death worldwide. Here, we present a revised analysis from the New Orleans dataset of soil lead (SPb) and children's blood Pb (BPb), which was systematically assembled for 2000-2005 and 2011-2016.

The limits of lead (Pb) phytoextraction and possibilities of phytostabilization in contaminated soil: a critical review.

This review article focuses on lead (Pb), one of the most ubiquitous and harmful toxicants found in soil. Our objective is to address misconceptions regarding the ability of plants to uptake Pb through their roots and translocate it to above-ground tissues, and their ability to act as hyperaccumulators and thereby phytoextract Pb. In accordance with a number of cited definitions, we suggest that species capable of Pb phytoextraction can be rated with the following three criteria: (1) root uptake above a nominal threshold of 1,000 mg Pb/kg, (2) bioconcentration factor (BCF or shoot/soil concentration) >1, and (3) translocation factor (TF or shoot/root concentration) > 1.

Remediation of an urban garden with elevated levels of soil contamination.

Urban gardening is popular in many cities. However, many urban soils are contaminated and pose risks to human health. This study was conducted in a highly publicized urban garden in Brooklyn, NY with elevated Pb and As levels.

Mechanisms of children's soil exposure.

Pollution is a concerning and highly studied area, especially in the arena of children's health. The focus of this concern, however, is typically limited to air and water pollution, leaving an important source under-studied and out of the concern of the general public. Soil pollution provides a unique threat to children's health, due to their increased exposure and susceptibility to its contaminants.

The concurrent decline of soil lead and children's blood lead in New Orleans.

Lead (Pb) is extremely toxic and a major cause of chronic diseases worldwide. Pb is associated with health disparities, particularly within low-income populations. In biological systems, Pb mimics calcium and, among other effects, interrupts cell signaling.

Sediment exchange to mitigate pollutant exposure in urban soil.

Urban soil is an ongoing source for lead (Pb) and other pollutant exposure. Sources of clean soil that are locally-available, abundant and inexpensive are needed to place a protective cover layer over degraded urban soil to eliminate direct and indirect pollutant exposures. This study evaluates a novel sediment exchange program recently established in New York City (NYC Clean Soil Bank, CSB) and found that direct exchange of surplus sediment extracted from urban construction projects satisfies these criteria.