Free Soil Sampling for Lakewood Residents in Tacoma Smelter Plume Contamination

Lakewood residents whose property may have been polluted by the Tacoma smelter plume can have their soil tested for free as part of the ongoing cleanup efforts of the Superfund site.

Meanwhile, state and local officials are working together on cleanup efforts at five local parks.

Lakewood's surface soil was one of the areas most affected by the plume from the ASARCO smelter, which operated for about 100 years in Tacoma's Ruston neighborhood.

Some parts of Lakewood contain no elevated levels of arsenic or lead, but other areas—including five parks, three schools and nine licensed childcares—have or had moderate levels of toxicity in their soil, said Department of Ecology Project Manager Elizabeth Weldin. She delivered a Tacoma smelter plume update to the Lakewood City Council and audience Monday.

The Ecology Department is working with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department to allow local residents to test their soil for free.

The smelter was shut down in 1986 and its smokestack was demolished in 1993, but it had already distributed poisonous chemicals into the air by wind.

People who garden, play sports, kids who play outside or construction workers run a risk of unintentionally ingesting contaminated soil, causing potential physical ailments like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, behavioral problems and more. Weldin emphasized education and outreach to encourage healthy outdoor actions.

Ecology is proposing a new program that would provide free soil sampling and cleanup for yards in the most highly contaminated areas of the Tacoma Smelter plume.

In December 2009, the state of Washington received a settlement from ASARCO, including $94 million to pay for cleanup of the Tacoma smelter plume. Ecology is using some of the funding to expand the Soil Safety Program to include public park, camp, and public multi-family housing play areas, according to its website.

Weldin said that they are working with the Lakewood Parks and Recreation Department to conduct cleanup at and . The DOE is coming up with a plan to address other parks such as , and .

State cleanup levels say define soil contaminated with arsenic of more than 20 parts per million or lead above 250 parts per million. They are based on risk calculations that include toxicity, exposure and long-term cancer risk.

A map shows parts of Lakewood west of Bridgeport Way and Lakewood Drive to have elevated levels of contamination.

(Click the PDF attached to the story to view the varying levels of contamination within the city).

Schools such as Lake City Elementary, and received completed soil safety actions in 2008, and nine licensed childcares received them between 2008-2011.

"There's no discussion of requiring soil cleanup (on private property), just education," Weldin said, adding that Ecology is encouraging local land use planning officials to advise or require landowners to sample soil sampling and remediate. "There are no guarantees that eating dirt will cause cancer.”

Weldin said Lakewood residents can call the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department to have a staff member come out to collect a free soil sample and analyze it at an accredited laboratory with follow-up results.

A few tips on how to prevent ingesting potentially contaminated dirt outside:

• Wear gloves
• Wash fruits and vegetables
• Build raised beds
• Cover bare patches of dirt
• Dampen dusty soil before gardening

Inside:

• Wash hands
• Take off shoes
• Clean toys
• Damp dust and vacuum

Contact Glenn Rollins with the TPCHD for free soil sampling questions and other residential questions at 243-798-3503 or email at dirtalert@tpchd.org

Other Tacoma smelter plume questions can be referred to Weldin with the DOE at 360-407-7094 or elizabeth.weldin@ecy.wa.gov.