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r A + GUIDANCE FOR MEASURING LEAD IN SOIL AND PAINT PREFACE July 1994 Lead-contaminated house dust is considered the most significant source of lead poisoning for the greatest number of children. All house dust contains some lead; the amount depends on lead contamination from other sources such as deteriorated lead-based paint and lead-contaminated soil. Millions of children live in dwellings with high dust-lead levels and routinely put dust-laden fingers, toys, and other objects into their mouths. Deteriorated lead- based paint and soil also may individually contribute significantly to a child's lead exposure if ingested. However, a more common scenario is the contamination of house dust by paint and soil and the child's subsequent ingestion of the contaminated house dust. One way to control high house dust lead levels and dust-lead exposure is to control the sources of lead that contaminate house dust, namely lead-contaminated bare soil and deteriorated lead-based paint. SOIL SAMPLING OVERVIEW Soil is a major reservoir of lead in our environment. It has been contaminated with lead from many years of airborne particulate fallout from automobile exhaust, from industrial sources, and from the extensive use of lead-based paint on residential housing and other structures. Children who play in bare soil may be directly exposed to lead. Soil tracked into the home (e.g., on shoes or by wind) contaminates house dust and, thus, may expose children through the dust medium. The purpose of this section is to assist the reader to develop and implement a soil sampling strategy to determine whether the soil outside of a dwelling poses a significant healtli hazard to children. Because only areas of bare soil are considered likely lead hazards,' the focus of this guidance is to assess lead levels in areas of bare soil. While only bare soil needs to be sampled, a property owner may wish to have additional sites sampled if the ground covering on those sites may be disturbed by such activities as gardening or excavation. A soil sampling strategy should be designed to: ■ Identify the location of soil-lead hazards outside of the dwelling. ■ Provide recommendations to the property owners or other interested parties on the best ways to control identified hazards. ■ Do the assessment at an affordable price to enable most property owners in the United States to have such an assessment conducted. Due to the diversity of housing stock in the U.S., residential soil-lead assessments must 1Title X defines "Lead contaminated soil' as bare soil on residential property that contains lead at or in excess of the levels determined by the EPA to be hazardous to human health.