Our project builds on previous research on soil heavy metal concentrations in Baltimore.

Data from the Baltimore Ecosystem Study shows a legacy of heavy metal contamination near major roads and old infrastructure. 

  • Yesilonis, I. D., Pouyat, R. V., & Neerchal, N. K. (2008a). Spatial distribution of metals in soils in Baltimore, Maryland: Role of native parent material, proximity to major roads, housing age and screening guidelines. Environmental Pollution, 156(3), 723–731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2008.06.010
  • Schwarz, K., Pouyat, R., & Yesilonis, I. (2016). Legacies of lead in Charm City’s soil: Lessons from the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(2), 209. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13020209

Studies found that heavy metal contaminants enter the food chain via soil animals and bioaccumulate in birds.

  • Roux, K. E., & Marra, P. P. (2007). The presence and impact of environmental lead in passerine birds along an urban to rural land use gradient. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 53(2), 261–268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-006-0174-4
  • Pouyat, R. V., Szlavecz, K., Yesilonis, I. D., Wong, C. P., Murawski, L., Marra, P., Casey, R. E., & Lev, S. (2015). Multi-scale assessment of metal contamination in residential soil and Soil Fauna: A case study in the Baltimore–washington metropolitan region, USA. Landscape and Urban Planning, 142, 7–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.05.001 

Ongoing research is finding high variation in heavy metal levels on vacant lots in East and North-West Baltimore. 

  • Szlavecz et al., unpublished

The Safe Urban Harvest Study found safe soils in the vast majority of the 104 Baltimore urban farms and gardens sampled.

  • Lupolt, S. N., Santo, R. E., Kim, B. F., Green, C., Codling, E., Rule, A. M., Chen, R., Scheckel, K. G., Strauss, M., Cocke, A., Little, N. G., Rupp, V. C., Viqueira, R., Illuminati, J., Epp Schmidt, A., & Nachman, K. E. (2021). The safe urban harvests study: A community-driven cross-sectional assessment of metals in soil, irrigation water, and produce from urban farms and gardens in Baltimore, Maryland. Environmental Health Perspectives, 129(11). https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp9431 

Legacy Metals is building on this research by bringing the focus to community concerns, namely residential lots, so residents can learn about their own soils. Interested in participating? Sign up here!