Soil in Pittsburg, Kansas Tested for Lead Contamination Leave a reply While the city of Pittsburg in Kansas owes its very existence, in a way, to the mining industries that dominated its landscape in the 1800s, it is this very history that is now a cause of concern for its residents.

Once these locations have been tested, soil sampling will then be done on properties that are within 500 feet from the historical Pittsburg Zinc Company smelters. This is all part of a cleanup process that will hopefully address lead contamination through the excavation or removal of all soil or waste in affected properties. Soil samples are being gathered from priority sites, starting from locations that constantly have presence of children six years old and younger, such as schools, day care centers and local parks, since small children are more prone to lead poisoning. The Environmental Protection Agency has begun screening properties in Pittsburg to evaluate lead contamination levels.

Nearly 170 residences fall under this category, and the owners of these residences have been sent property access consent forms that will allow the EPA to gather soil samples from their yards.

Lead testing on these locations will be done whether or not they are within the vicinity of former zinc smelters.