The Professionals Use Soil Sampling Equipment Specific For The Job

All soils have some types of chemicals in them, but in high concentrations they may become toxic. Having the soil tested will determine the level of toxic contaminants it contains. The Environmental Protection Agency provides guidance about what acceptable levels are. Soil sampling equipment is designed to get an accurate soil sample the first time.

For the protection of human life, the EPA has developed a framework for risk-based soil testing levels. Using this framework, the EPA has been able to standardize and accelerate the evaluation and cleanup of sites of future residential development. According to the EPA’s paper on soil screening guidance they focus on a simple methodology for developing site-specific screening levels.

Soil screening levels are standards for cleaning up soil contamination but are not national standards. The EPA testing defines and identifies soils that do not require a cleanup response or any further federal testing. When a soil has been determined to be contaminated above acceptable levels, it is marked for further study or investigation, but not always cleanup.

EPA soil testing screens will determine the issue of pathways of exposure in residential settings. In residential settings, exposure to toxic chemicals can include ingestion through food crops, drinking contaminated ground water, inhalation, skin absorption and migration into basements. Other pathways for toxic chemical exposure are heavy truck traffic on paved roads, eating fish from polluted waters, and raising livestock.

Soil will be tested for toxic levels of arsenic, chromium, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, and nickel. Because of the widespread use of lead-based paint and industrial waste processes, low-level lead contamination is common in urban settings. Wind can also carry contaminants that then settle into residential soil. Children who live in homes built before the 1940’s often have high blood levels of lead, according to a report on lead contamination by the Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program.

Risk sites that indicate that soil testing is necessary are areas of high traffic, industrial or commercial businesses, petroleum spills, car or machine repair shops, exposure to treated wood, furniture refinishing, landfills, or garbage dumps, fires, or exposure to treated wood. Even composted soil is able to transmute toxic contaminants like pesticides and wood preservatives, according to the EPA report about the environmental benefits of composting. A professional soil testing expert will use soil sampling equipment that is specifically designed for the site that needs sampling. With a professional it will be done right first time.