| Lead, Arsenic, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Soil and House Dust in the Communities Surrounding the Sydney, Nova Scotia, Tar Ponds Timothy W. Lambert1 and Stephanie Lane2 1Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 2Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Abstract
This study evaluated lead, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in the residential communities adjacent to the Sydney, Nova Scotia, tar ponds, the area considered Canada's worst contaminated site. The tar pond remediation policy has been limited to the site and some residential properties. We compared background concentrations in 91 soil samples taken 5-20 km from the coke oven site with those in soil samples from the three communities surrounding the tar ponds: Whitney Pier, Ashby, and North End. These surrounding communities were statistically different from background regarding arsenic, lead, and PAHs. Twenty percent of the background soil samples and 95% of the tar pond soil samples were above the Canadian health-risk-based soil guidelines for arsenic (12 ppm) , and 5% of the background samples and 80% of the tar pond soil samples were above the Canadian guidelines for lead (140 ppm) . Regarding dust lead and arsenic loading, the results provide no evidence that Whitney Pier is significantly different than Ashby and North End. Children in these communities are predicted to have a 1-15% chance of blood lead > 10 µg/dL. The results suggest that lead and arsenic found in the homes originate outside. The lead content of paint in the homes was not evaluated, but consideration of painted wood at the doorway did not confound the results of the study. The results indicate that the residential environment has been adversely affected by PAHs, lead, and arsenic and should be considered for remediation. Key words: arsenic, community, environmental justice, house dust, lead, PAHs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, soil, Sydney, tar ponds, tracking. Environ Health Perspect 112:35-41 (2004) . doi:10.1289/ehp.6423 available via http://dx.doi.org/ doi:10.1289/ehp.6423 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 16 October 2003]
Address correspondence to T.W. Lambert, Environmental Health, 4th Floor, Centre 15, 1509 Centre Street SW, PO Box 4016, Station C, Calgary Alberta, T2T 5T1 Canada. Telephone: (403) 943-8048. Fax: (403) 943-8056. E-mail: tim.lambert@calgaryhealthregion.ca We thank the residents of Sydney and volunteers with the People's Health Commission for sharing their perspective and their time. We thank S. Epstein, E. Furimsky, D. Green, L. Guyn, B. Lanphear, B. Marcocchio, E. May, D. Miller, M. Richardson, D. Stefani, and B. Thomas for their comments. This research was supported by a donation from Sierra Club of Canada, which paid for Environmental Services Laboratory costs. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 29 April 2003 ; accepted 15 October 2003.
The full version of this article is available for free in HTML or PDF formats. |
