Lead is a heavy metal that is common in our everyday environment. Historically it has been used in paints, pipes (including connectors/fittings), and gasoline among other places. Today, most industrial uses are limited to lead-acid batteries, a growing market. Lead is a known toxin for humans. Health effects range from mild health irritations and decreased fertility at low amounts, lower IQ and emotional/behavioral issues in milder amounts, and seizures, coma, and even death at higher amounts. ### Top exposure pathways (aka: sources of lead) include: - Paint - Soil - Dust (created by soil, paint, or emissions) - Water / Plumbing Lead may also be in toys, cosmetics, food containers, and other places, but the above are the top 4 pathways. Paint is generally recognized as the predominant source of lead. People talk quite a bit about lead in water, in part because of the crisis in Flint Michigan. Soil is a pathway that gets less attention; however, there is growing evidence that soil -- and in particular the dust that gets kicked up -- is a significant source of lead. There are no safe levels of lead for humans; any amount is a bad amount. Lead is also bioaccumulate which means that it doesn't leave your body. Small amounts add up in your body over time. -------------------- ###Top Resources on PublicLab.org Related to this Topic - [How to Test For Lead in your Environment](https://publiclab.org/notes/read_holman/04-11-2019/how-to-test-for-lead-in-your-environment) - [Evaluating Low-cost Lead Screening Products](https://publiclab.org/notes/read_holman/04-16-2019/evaluating-low-cost-lead-screening-products) - [Chemical/Analytical Methods Used When Testing for Lead](https://publiclab.org/notes/read_holman/12-12-2018/list-of-methods-for-lead-detection-monitoring) - [How much lead is legally allowed and what government agency regulates that? (link goes to CDC/ATSDR website. Scroll to Summary Table.)](https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=34&po=8) -------------------- ### Research Notes on PublicLab.org Related to this Topic [notes:lead!question:lead] ### Questions posted on PublicLab.org Related to this Topic [questions:lead] ...
| Author | Comment | Last activity | Moderation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| warren | " This looks tremendous. Very exciting -- thank you!!!! " | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| smmontgom | "Hi @liz, Thanks for your compliments. Our testing utilizes a standard sample collection kit with 2 bottles [1st draw, flush, 2nd draw] that is then..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| smmontgom | "Hi @bronwen, Thanks for the comments and connections. Our testing locations are also crowdsourced by our testers, and we'd love to have a more geog..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| abusaud23 | "This is a nice startup idea to work for as seeing the water scarcity in some places & in the near future too. Top MBA/pgm colleges in India " | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| Bronwen | "Hi @smmontgom - Apologies for the slow reply, we've had a busy week! Off the top of my head, the lead-specific research in North Brooklyn has been ..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| liz | "Hi @smmontgom , I enjoyed reading your poster on your previous sampling protocol. Thank you for sharing! I am a big fan of publishing data in this ..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| smmontgom | "@liz there is indeed a lot of potential synergy between what we're doing and the NYC DEP testing. Essentially we're building on their methods and u..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| smmontgom | "Hi @Bronwen I'd love to make a connection at Newtown Creek Conservancy and the North Brooklyn Boat Club if you wouldn't mind putting me in touch. M..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| read_holman | "A lengthier write-up on this effort by @smmontgom Crowdsourcing lead testing in NYC parks and playgrounds https://publiclab.org/notes/smmontgom/09..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| liz | "NYC has a robust lead testing program through the Department of Environmental Protection. I am wondering if this project can use their methods and ..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| read_holman | "Hi @Bronwen -- a slightly delayed reply here. I'm sort of the middle man for this one. @smmontgom-- do you want to check out the orgs mentioned her..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| nshapiro | "Very cool! it would be great to have more of that info on your sampling and analyzing approach on your website as most project don't have as advanc..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| smmontgom | "Hi @nshapiro, We started out using computer vision to analyze simple strip tests like you can get at your local hardware store for their ease of us..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| nshapiro | "Interesting! could you post more details on what kind of lead test is used and what your sampling protocol is? thanks! looking forward to learning ..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| Bronwen | "Hi @read_holman -- I might have mentioned the Newtown Creek Conservancy and the North Brooklyn Boat Club (there is a lot of overlap between the two..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| smmontgom | "@xuhulk awesome! Bedstuy and LES are 2 likely hotspots for lead. You can sign up to be a tester at https://www.citizenspring.org/ Corlears Hook Par..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| xuhulk | "I'm based in Bed-Stuy and the Lower East Side, and I'm very interested! " | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| read_holman | "@liz Hi there -- were you the person who mentioned a water monitoring effort with a college in Queens? Wondering if that'd be a group that would be..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| Bronwen | "@warren I do, but she's a little off the grid at the moment. She said she'd be able to get back into this in the fall! " | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| warren | "@bronwen do you have a contact with Franciska from the Barnraising who might be able to chime in on this thread? " | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| Ag8n | "The problem is the dilute vinegar they provide won't penetrate all materials ( i.e. Not all kinds of paint, not all kinds of plastic, etc.). So yo..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| read_holman | "Sources / links. It all feels a bit insufficiently conclusive to me. Store-Bought Lead Tests: Are They Worth It? Analysis of the top three home-te..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| read_holman | "Howdy --- This thread is a bit old but it's left unresolved. I have a little experience in this space, both in my playing with these lead testing s..." | Read more » | over 5 years ago | |||
| xose | "Not yet. We're in touch now ;D " | Read more » | almost 6 years ago |