Parks on historic trash incinerator sites could have lead hotspots, study shows

Public parks—open, green lawns or idyllic, forested get-aways—help bring nature into cities. But some municipalities built recreational spaces over soil contaminated by industrial activities. Now, in a small-scale study, researchers in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters report elevated soil lead levels in city parks that had housed garbage incinerators and waste ash decades ago. In some cases, the measured levels exceeded the limit considered hazardous by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).