Soil sent in by a Lead Safe Mama reader from Omaha, Nebraska (XRF test results, May 2023)
For those new to this website:
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-Federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead-poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005). Since 2009, Tamara has been using XRF technology (a scientific method used by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic). All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable. Items are tested multiple times to confirm the test results for each component tested. Tamara’s work was featured in Consumer Reports Magazine in February of 2023 (March 2023 print edition).
Published: May 2, 2023 — Tuesday
Note: IF you are sending soil samples to Lead Safe Mama, LLC for testing, please follow the instructions on the link below very carefully and send no more than one teaspoon to one tablespoon of soil per sample. When larger amounts of soil are sent, especially when the surface soil is intermingled with soil under the surface, the readings are not particularly useful — IF there is contamination on the surface, it is less likely to be detected due to the fact that larger samples will likely contain large quantities of non-surface soil, which will dilute any surface level toxicity readings. Thank you. We are not currently accepting samples until at least July 16, 2023.
Summary for this soil sample set below:
The “South Yard” reading, which may be “side yard” (sorry to the sender for the confusion, but the ink on her sample collection bag was smudged and a bit hard to read), tested positive for Lead at a level considered quite unsafe by any standards that have been set as a measure for protecting human health (more info on that in link #2 below).
The “Back Yard” sample is safe by most standards, however, we like to see areas where children might play test negative, OR at levels no higher than 40 ppm Lead (if achievable). Grass/vegetation cover is the best way to address moderately high levels (above 40 ppm and below 400 ppm) in areas where children may play. Soil removal or other methods of covering the soil are also options but may be more expensive depending on the location of the home and that particular area’s limitations (urban, desert, “rainforest,” etc.). Please read the links below for more info. Here’s a piece I wrote about how we handled the Lead hazards in the soil at my family’s current home (which has levels in a range slightly below, but similar to the test results for the sample set on this article).
- To learn more about the soil testing we do, click here.
- For information to help you understand and interpret the results below, click here.
Each set of test results below represents a test of at least 60 seconds on the sample. Samples are tested multiple times to confirm the results. Notes in pink are the location notes from the person who sent me the samples.
Sample One (South Yard):
- Lead (Pb): 331 +/- 26 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Tin (Sn): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Mercury (Hg): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Selenium (Se): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Arsenic (As): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Barium (Ba): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Chromium (Cr): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Antimony (Sb): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Copper (Cu): 71 +/- 28 ppm
- Zinc (Zn): 311 +/-33 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 437 +/- 189 ppm
- Bromine (Br): 5 +/- 3 ppm
- Niobium (Nb): 250 +/- 21 ppm
- Indium (In): 15 +/- 8 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 17,100 +/- 600 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 25 +/- 11 ppm
- No other metal was detected.
Sample Two (Back Yard):
- Lead (Pb): 75 +/- 13 ppm
- Cadmium (Cd): 13 +/- 5 ppm
- Tin (Sn): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Mercury (Hg): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Selenium (Se): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Arsenic (As): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Barium (Ba): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Chromium (Cr): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Antimony (Sb): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Copper (Cu): Non-detect/ Negative (nd)
- Zinc (Zn): 135 +/-22 ppm
- Manganese (Mn): 476 +/- 176 ppm
- Bromine (Br): 4 +/- 2 ppm
- Niobium (Nb): Non-detect / Negative (nd)
- Zirconium (Zr): 219 +/- 11 ppm
- Indium (In): 16 +/- 7 ppm
- Iron (Fe): 21,900 +/- 600 ppm
- Bismuth (Bi): 23 +/- 9 ppm
- No other metal was detected.
As always, please let me know if you have any questions. I will do my best to answer them as soon as I have a moment.
Tamara Rubin
Owner — Lead Safe Mama, LLC
#LeadSafeMama
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