What to know
- Soil Screening, Health, Outreach, and Partnership (soilSHOP) events bring same day, soil screening to community members.
- At soilSHOP, participants bring soil gathered from their gardens or outdoor play area(s) and screen it for contaminants, including lead.
- Through soilSHOPs, ATSDR and partner organizations inform community members about lead soil contamination and share tips for reducing potential exposures.
What are soilSHOP events?
With the rise in community and urban gardening, it is important to protect communities from contaminants. These can be things like lead, that may be found in soil. ATSDR and partner organizations host soilSHOP events to provide community members with free soil lead screenings. At soilSHOP, participants receive same day, soil screening results and tips from health educators to keep safe from lead.
Facts about lead in soil
Lead exposure, particularly in children, can cause irreversible and life-long health effects. There's no safe blood lead level that has been identified. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect children's:
- IQ
- ability to pay attention
- academic achievement
Impacts
ATSDR is dedicated to promoting safer places for gardening and outdoor play by informing and preventing exposures to lead in soil. The soilSHOP program contributes to the Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts. Specifically, Objective 1.3: Reducing Lead Exposure in Soil. By engaging community members on lead health education, ATSDR and partners advance the federal blueprint for reducing lead exposure.
Did you know?
EPA Regional Brownfields Program offices can support communities who:
- are concerned about lead and other contaminants
- are interested in assessing and cleaning contaminated vacant lots to use as gardens
Contact your regional office to be connected to local, state, and/or Tribal brownfield programs.