Growing Healthy Soil for Healthy Communities
Children’s Environmental Health Sciences Core Center
Translational Research Committee
July 30, 2013
Pilot Project Team Members
• Medical College of Wisconsin
• Sixteenth Street Community Health Center
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Walnut Way Conservation Corporation
• *Symbiont: Science, Engineering and Construction
Outline
• Description of the Pre Pilot and Pilot Study
– Background & Objectives
– Specific Aims
• Results
• Discussion/Next Steps
Background
• Public Health:
– Lead poisoning remains a top environmental threat to children
• Urban Agriculture is booming
– Community-building tool
– Land disposition strategy
– Food security & nutrition
Objective
• Test the feasibility of integrating principles of CBPR with environmental site assessment methods to explore the relationship between residential backyard gardening and lead exposure in children and families.
Pre-PilotUrban Gardens and Soil Contaminants
(Jan 2011-March 2011)• Developed gardening practices structured
interview and checklist
• Collected descriptive data to characterize project neighborhoods
• Recruited first cohort of 11 gardeners
• Collected qualitative and quantitative data from residents, including attitudes regarding soil and plant testing, BLL testing and DNR reporting requirements.
• Developed soil/plant sampling plan
PilotGrowing Healthy Soil for Healthy Communities
Aug 2011- Present
• Increased community engagement and resident participation in research
• Conducted gardening practice interviews, soil and plant tissue testing
• Communicated findings to community residents and other stakeholders
• Identified future research directions
Methods Overview
Recruitment
– Randomly selected properties pre-screened for presence of a garden using MCAMLIS and ArcGIS software
– In person canvassing of prescreened properties to
– confirm backyard gardening activities
– confirm children/grandchildren < 6 years old
Primary Data
– Structured Interviews and Checklist
– Residential Soil and Produce
– Commercial Soil and Produce
– Community feedback sessions
Methods: Residential Soil Sampling
• Three Locations– Garden
– Lawn
– Drip Line
• Two Depths– Surface Layer (top 3.5”)
– Deeper Layer (3.5” to 6”)
• X-Ray Florescence (XRF) & Lab Analysis
Methods: How did we operationalize CBPR?
Iterative Process
• Iterative process that sought input and feedback from residents through:• Expansion of research team to include 2 more neighborhood residents
• Focus groups
• Community feedback sessions
• Topics Covered:
• Informed consent process
• Data collection methods – XRF vs. laboratory methods
• Aggregate interview, soil and plant results
• Next steps/Action Research agenda
Results: Interviews(Combined pre-pilot and pilot)
Neighborhood 1 (n=9)
• More than half (56%) of participants were in 25-44 age groups
• Children participated in gardening activities
– Picking (78%)
– Planting (78%)
– Watering (78%)
– Preparing (44%)
– Weeding (44%)
– Tilling (22%)
Neighborhood 2 (n=11)
• The majority (64%) of participants were in 55+ age groups
• Children participated in gardening activities:
– Picking (100%)
– Planting (82%)
– Watering (73%)
– Weeding (73%)
– Preparing (55%)
– Tilling (18%)
Results: Soil TestingXRF measurements compared to
laboratory methods
XRF performed well – about 95% accurate compared to the more expensive and time consuming laboratory methods
Results: Residential Soil Contamination Participant Report
Results: Summary of Lead in Soil for All Participants
Site Minimum Maximum Average
Parts per million (ppm) lead (Pb)
Garden 8 2,370 396
Drip Line 16 3,234 691
Lawn 8 1,107 272
Site Minimum Maximum Average
Parts per million (ppm) lead (Pb)
Garden 29 1,982 439
Drip Line 16 2,779 602
Lawn 7 1,049 235
Surface 0 to 3.5 inches
3.5 to 6 inches
Results: Vegetables
Vegetable # Lead (Pb) - ppmOnions 10 0.22Peppers 10 0.14Tomatoes 10 0.34Zucchini 8 0.48
Store- or Market-Bought Produce
Residential Produce
# Lead (Pb) - ppmLeafy Vegetables 19 2.7Root Vegetables 4 1.5Tomatoes and Peppers 23 0.7
Results: Commercial Soils Very Low Lead
• Similar to natural “background” levels in non-contaminated soils
Soil Lead Content (ppm)
WalMart Miracle Gro Organic Choice 6
Home Depot EarthGrow Topsoil 11
Home Depot Scotts Topsoil 7
Growing Power 6
Interpretation of Results
• <400 ppm: can be used for gardening
• 400 to 1200 ppm: use precautions when gardening
• >1200 ppm: do not garden, cover with grass
0 400 800 1200 1600
Parts per million (ppm) of lead (Pb) in soil
* Thresholds as specified by US Environmental Protection Agency
* *
Results: Interpretation for Residents
Risk Reduction Strategies
>1200 ppm Lead in Soil
Eliminate exposure to bare soil
• Remove contaminated soil; Cover with walking stones or bark chips; Plant grass and fertilize to ensure dense cover
400 to 1200 ppm Range
Minimize exposure to soil
• Wash vegetables to remove soil; Use door mats to keep soil out of home; Wash hands after gardening
Reduce the bioavailability of lead in the soil• Apply phosphorus fertilizer to the garden; Add compost or topsoil to
dilute contaminated soil
< 400 ppm Range
The EPA requires no action, but following the practices previously discussed is a good idea, especially as levels approach 400 ppm
Results: Interpretation for Residents
Results: How did we operationalize CBPR?
Capacity Building
• Two community residents joined the research team
– 1 hired as a part-time community research associate
– 1 chose a volunteer role
• Received training and participated in:
– revising data collection tools
– canvassing, recruitment and retention
– conducting structured interviews and focus groups (as either interviewer or note taker)
– lead sampling technician training (1 CBO staff/resident,1 CBO staff/nonresident)
Results: How did we operationalize CBPR?
Dissemination• Community Campus Partnerships for Health Annual Conference
(2012)
• MPTV 4th Street Forum (2012)
• Lindsay Heights Research Council (2012)
• MCW Clinical Translational Science Institute Research in Progress Seminar (2011)
• MCW Public and Community Health Doctoral Seminar (2012)
• UWM Zilber School of Public Health, Social and Environmental Justice PhD Course Lecture (2013)
• WDNR Brownfield Study Group (2013)
• CEHSCC External Advisors Meeting (2013)
• Progress in Community Health Partnerships (manuscript accepted, July 2013)
