Arsenic, lead taint soils at many 'child-use areas'
Fallout from Asarco smelter in Pierce, King counties
TACOMA -- Margaret Schumacher feels sick when she thinks about the children at her in-home day care center digging and playing in arsenic-tainted soil.
Schumacher dug up her yard four years ago to lay down grass and minimize the mess from dirt. At the time, she had no idea that tests would find high levels of arsenic -- the legacy of the Asarco smelter that operated three miles away for almost a century.
"Here I was, digging away and it was all dusty," she said. "It didn't even occur to me about the arsenic in the soil. These kids would pick up handfuls of it and throw it in the air. It wasn't our daily activity, but that's what kids do."
Eighteen years after the Asarco smelter in Ruston closed, residents of neighboring communities are just starting to learn about the potential health risks posed to generations of children. Those dangers, tests show, still exist.
The state Ecology Department, which estimates that the copper smelter spread arsenic and lead over a 400-square-mile swath of King and Pierce counties, is conducting a study of contaminants in soil at day care centers, preschools, parks, camps and playgrounds. The study is focusing on gathering places for children under 6 -- the most vulnerable group for health risks caused by environmental poisons.
So far, soil has been tested at about 160 "child-use areas" in the two counties. The results show clusters of contamination on Vashon and Maury islands -- where one out of four sites had elevated arsenic levels -- as well as Normandy Park, University Place and Tacoma's North End.
Half the Tacoma day cares and preschools tested had arsenic levels exceeding the limit. The dirt in Schumacher's yard was up to three times the safety threshold.
High arsenic levels were also found at seven parks -- four in Pierce County and three in King County -- and at seven public schools -- two in Highline, one in Federal Way and four in Tacoma.
Health officials found the highest single concentration -- 691 parts per million -- at 450-student Point Defiance Elementary in Tacoma. The state's health limit for arsenic in soil is 20 ppm.
The level triggering cleanup efforts statewide is 100 ppm, but in the Ruston area, Asarco isn't on the hook for cleanup unless the contamination is more than double that. Lead was found in elevated levels in only a few of the sites tested so far.
An additional 500 sites have been identified for testing in Burien, Federal Way, SeaTac, Normandy Park and Des Moines. Public Health -- Seattle & King County is contacting property owners to request access, and test results are expected next year.
Continue reading this story from the Seattle P-I:
Arsenic, lead taint soils at many 'child-use areas'
To learn more about protecting public health and the environment by eliminating toxic pollution, please visit Earth Share of Washington organization, Washington Toxics Coalition.