One of eight basketball goals at Walltown Park, this one is next to a hotspot of lead contamination. Recent sampling showed soil contained 482 ppm of lead. The EPA Action Level for play areas is 400 ppm. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)
Pieces of glass and porcelain, more than 70 years old, were found in lead-contaminated soil at several Durham parks, evidence that old incinerators are a likely source, according to a final report released by the city last night.
The findings by city contractor Mid-Atlantic Associates, confirm and underscore sampling conducted in the fall of 2021, by Enikoe Bihari, then a master’s student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. With Parks and Rec’s approval, Bihari and her faculty adviser, Dan Richter, sampled soil at three parks because the city had operated incinerators there until about 1950, when they were torn down.
Top parks officials initially ignored or suppressed Bihari’s results; nor did Duke University inform the public. After a Walltown resident stumbled upon Bihari’s paper online and publicized the data, the city still downplayed the results, but did hire Mid-Atlantic Associates to conduct further testing at the five parks: Walltown, Northgate, Lyon, East Durham and East End. Preliminary results prompted the city to fence off contaminated areas.
All of the parks except for Northgate are in predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods.
Lead is a neurotoxin. Chronic exposure can cause permanent neurological and brain damage in children, who are especially vulnerable because they spend time outdoors and often put their hands in their mouths. Adults with high blood levels of lead can suffer from brain, kidney, heart and reproductive disorders.
Mid-Atlantic also tested for other metals associated with incinerators, including arsenic, manganese and cobalt. Levels in all but one sample — in Walltown — were within naturally occurring ranges. These elements can be present in soil because of local geologic formations and conditions.
The report recommends the city maintain its fencing around the hotspots and further investigate those areas. There are several possible cleanup options, including excavation, land use restrictions or placement of a cap on the contaminated soil.
Here is a summary of the findings. You can read the full report here or on the City’s parks and rec website.
The EPA’s Action Level for playgrounds is 400 parts per million.
Most of the contaminated areas at Walltown Park are within 50 feet of a tributary to Ellerbe Creek. This is one of the horseshoe courts near a hotspot. (Photo: Lisa Sorg)
Walltown, 1700 Guess Road
Number of samples: 102
Number of samples that contained any level of lead: 27
Number of those samples approaching the EPA Action Level (between 300 and 399 ppm): 3
Number of detections above the EPA Action Level: 11
Lead levels: Ranged from 458 ppm to 3480 ppm. The highest concentration was found a foot below ground; shallow sampling at the same spot showed levels of 1352 ppm.
Where found: Most of the hotspots were within 50 feet of the tributary to Ellerbe Creek. Another area was next to a basketball court.
Source: Since glass and porcelain fragments were also found at the park, the old incinerator is the likely source.
East Durham, 2500 E. Main St.
Number of samples: 66
Number of samples that contained any level of lead: 19
Number of those samples approaching the EPA Action Level (between 300 and 399 ppm): 0
Number of detections above the EPA Action Level: 11
Lead levels: Ranged from 723 ppm to 3180 ppm. Like Walltown, the highest concentrations were found at greater soil depths. The spot with 3180 ppm was a foot deep; shallow sampling at the same location was 860 ppm.
Where found: All but one were in a grassy area along Main Street. There is no playground equipment on this tract, but it is adjacent to an apartment complex and functions as those residents’ front yard.
Sources: Since glass and porcelain fragments were also found at the park, the old incinerator is the likely source.
Northgate Park, 300 W. Club Blvd.
Number of samples: 261
Number of samples that contained any level of lead: 34
Number of those samples approaching the EPA Action Level (between 300 and 399 ppm): 4
Number of detections above the EPA Action Level: 1
Where found: A foot beneath an unlined playground
Lead level: 1,430 ppm
Sources: Mid-Atlantic concluded that single detection was an isolated incident because none of the other 258 screening locations had lead above the EPA’s action level. Some areas with lower lead levels are on the eastern side of the park, near Acadia Street, and vehicle traffic could be the source of the lead, according to the report. Gasoline contained lead until Jan. 1, 1996, when it was phased out. No incinerator ash deposits were found.
Lyon Park, 1200 W. Lakewood Ave.
Number of samples: 83
Number of samples that contained any level of lead: 15
Number of those samples approaching the EPA Action Level (between 300 and 399 ppm): 0
Number of detections above the EPA Action Level: 1
Lead level: 553 ppm
Where found: In a wooded area on the far eastern side of the park, beyond the ballfields
Sources: Mid-Atlantic concluded that single detection was an isolated incident. No incinerator ash deposits were found.
East End, 1200 N. Alston Ave.
Number of samples: 111
Number of samples that contained any level of lead: 23
Number of those samples approaching the EPA Action Level (between 300 and 399 ppm): 3
Number of detections above the EPA Action Level: 3
Lead levels: 435 and 995 ppm (old City Sign and Signal Shop), 772 ppm (near former community center)
Sources: Mid-Atlantic theorized the source at the former community center is lead chips from paint used on the building’s exterior in the 1960s. Two spots at the City’s old Sign and Signal Shop, which is fenced off from the public, also had high levels of lead, presumably from paint used onsite.
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