Lead Detection

Based on some of the recent postings on toxic waste being used as fertilizer, I forwarded a copy and asked the following questions to a person I know of that could possibly give us a start on the subject lead. What I got back was more than I hoped for as you will see in the following links.

Subject: Re: Lead
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 12:22:04
From: Chris Brown <Chris-Brown@ouhsc.edu>
To: mikelob@gte.net

At 12:15 PM 7/28/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Chris, Troubled Times a group I am on a list server of would like
> to find tests for lead (and possibly other heavy metals) along with
>economic ways to remove it from land and water. 

The best methods for checking for lead and other heavy metals in soil are to 
microwave digest the soil and then analyze the remaining liquid. There are a 
number of methods of then sampling for the lead in that form (of different 
costs). HUD and the EPA have the recommended methods of sampling for lead 
online.

As for removal, the expensive way to remove it from water and groundwater is
to use a cation exchange system (VERY COSTLY!!!), and so far as I know, that
is the only way. What is being done currently with heavily contaminated soil
is to bulldoze it, bury it and cap it. But unlike carbonized contaminates, 
there are no magic bugs (bacteria) that I know of that can get rid of it. 
The best solution is to not get the heavy metals there in the first place. 
And as you can see from the articles, that is not being viewed by the 
distributors of "acceptable fertilizers".

>Volcanic eruptions often cause toxic levels of lead in local land and
>water for years afterwards. More and more Volcanic eruptions are
>occurring each year. Also, with the current interest in lead getting
>into the food chain do to toxic waist becoming fertilizer this may be a
>topic you may know something about or have an interest in finding
>something about it. I would like to post whatever you recommend.

If I run across more I will let you know, but the solutions I have run across
so far are not real promising. Mostly the technologies are being developed at
Superfund Sites where they have the federal capital to fund these expensive 
clean-up projects. For the regular Joe, the best bet is to move to cleaner 
ground. Not a real viable solution, I'm afraid. And I won't give you my opinion 
re: EPA work in this area as this e-mail would self-destruct. 

I ran across a recent piece of research on decontaminating soil contaminated with 
heavy metals in situ by the DOE. It looks pretty good, but the price 
tag may be a bit high.

http://em-50.em.doe.gov/BEST/techs/aa/tech0125.html

Christopher A. Brown, M.S., Research Assistant
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Department of Occupational & Environmental Health
Voice: 405-271-2070 FAX: 405-271-1971
http://rentsv1.uokhsc.edu/cbrown

Offered by Mike.