Lead Extraction Using Three Soil Fertility Tests and Environmental Protection Agency Method 3050

Identifying soils that contain high lead (Pb) concentrations is an important step in protecting public health from Pb poisoning. To determine if soil fertility tests (SFT) can be utilized to predict United States Environmental Protection Agency Solid Waste USEPA SW846‐3050a (EPA3050) levels of Pb in soil, the EPA3050 test and three SFT: Mehlich‐1 (M1), Mehlich‐3 (M3) and Modified Morgan (MM), were performed on 96 soil samples from New Jersey and Delaware. Samples were collected from roadsides, urban gardens, alongside of old, painted buildings, farm fields and lawns, and one trapshoot site. Lead content ranged from 3 to 21,000 mg EPA3050 Pb/ kg soil (median: 180 mg/kg). Site of sample collection was a general predictor of contamination. Percent soil organic matter (SOM) was negatively correlated to relative amount of Pb (compared to EPA3050) extracted, for all three SFT. Soil pH was negatively correlated to relative amount extracted by M1 and MM, but not for M3. Soil fertility tests generally extracted le...