Creating Pb Risk Mitigation Using Source Apportionment in an EJ Community

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Abstract East Trenton, NJ is an environmental justice (EJ) community burdened by lead (Pb). Pb is a cumulative environmental toxicant that can affect multiple organ systems including the central nervous system. Current public health guidelines state there is no safe level of Pb exposure. This project’s priority is to reduce Pb exposure to residents. Partnering with three local community organizations, Isles Inc, East Trenton Collaborative, and New Jersey Future, community volunteers will conduct citizen science collecting soil samples from homes throughout the East Trenton neighborhood. Concurrently, Rutgers, ETC, and NJ Future will host community clinics to offer free blood Pb testing to concerned residents. While no resident will be turned away, a special emphasis will be placed on collecting blood samples from children. A home visit (minimum 100 homes) will be conducted in any home that tested above 200 ppm soil Pb (50% EPA residential soil Pb hazard level) or with a resident’s blood Pb level >0.5µg/dL. Drinking water, paint, soil, and house dust will be collected and analyzed for Pb isotope ratios and metal-to-metal ratios (e.g., Ti/Pb, Sb/Pb, Ga/Pb, etc.). Bayesian mixing models will be created using this tracer data to conduct source apportionment that will identify unique fingerprints for lead sources in blood and house dust. Home specific mitigation strategies will be developed using data from these mixing models that are specific to the unique sources of lead identified in the home environment. If a lead paint abatement is required, our community partner (Isles, Inc.) will conduct the lead paint abatement. Other mitigation strategies, (eg ground cover for exposed soil, entry way dust collecting mats to trap street dust) will also be recommended and a follow up visit to these 100 homes will be conducted 6 months post-mitigation to test the efficacy of the recommended mitigation strategies. During this visit, blood and house dust samples will be collected to determine if there was a decrease in exposure. Finally, dissemination of results will occur through town hall style community presentations and written reports will be provided to our community partners. This project is valuable because it will develop a playbook that can be used as an intervention model for other lead burdened communities on developing personalized abatement strategies available by adding source apportionment to the toolbox for exposure assessment.