How Much Soil Do Young Children Ingest: An Epidemiologic Study

It has long been recognized that contaminated soil may present a potential public health concern because of groundwater contamination since groundwater is a significant drinking water source. Recently, regulatory and public health agencies have become concerned that consumption of contaminated soil by children may present a significant public health problem. For example, soil levels of lead that range from 2500-7500 gg/g in certain sections of Boston are suspected of contributing to elevated blood lead levels as a result of soil ingestion. 1 Also widely discussed has been the dioxin contamination of Times Beach, Missouri. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) derived a theoretical cancer risk associated with levels of dioxin in soil. 2 A major concern was the assumed consumption by children of soil containing dioxin, a contaminant that is relatively tightly bound to soil.