ADEQ Soil Test Results | Ocs Child Safety Gro

ADEQ Soil Test Raw Data

We believe this data shows unreasonably high soil arsenic concentrations, capable of causing harm to children's health.

Please review and decide for yourself!

If you are unfamiliar with soil arsenic levels and what can be hazardous to a child, here are some valuable resources for you.

3.5 mg/kg of Arsenic in soil = Non-Cancer Child Health Hazard

This is based off the US EPA Regional Screening Levels for children who have more than one route of arsenic exposure. Since Cottonwood's water is very high in arsenic, our children fall under this hazard level, which is reflective of multiple source exposure.

Graph - Rethinking Wildfires, Floods & Health: Data Explorer (arizona.edu)

To view arsenic data, use cursor on right hand side to change mg/kg level from 90,000 down to 10 to see arsenic hazard levels.

10 mg/kg of Arsenic in soil = ADEQ AZ Soil Remediation Level

This means that when an environmental agency comes in to clean up contamination in AZ, they ensure that arsenic remaining in the soil is not above the 10mg/kg mark. This level can also be seen on the link above.

37 mg/kg of Arsenic in soil = Transient Child Health Hazard after short-term exposure

Arsenic-Contaminated Soil, Hazards of Short-Term Exposure, 1999 Report (wa.gov)

162 mg/kg of Arsenic is soil = Child Fatality Level

In general, children eat a certain amount of soil a day from playing outside and getting dirt under their nails and then eating or putting their hands in their mouth. This study by the Washington State Department of Health aimed to evaluate how much soil the average child consumes in a day, and then look at what levels of arsenic could cause fatalities in children after just 1 to 2 days of exposure to that soil, which found the fatality level to be 162mg/kg. Please see link below for full study.

Arsenic-Contaminated Soil, Hazards of Short-Term Exposure, 1999 Report (wa.gov)

Soil Arsenic Levels of concern around Cottonwood.

Please view raw data and do your own research to make informed decisions about where to take your kids in Cottonwood.

Cottonwood Kid's Park has tested as high as 78mg/kg (result 158), far above the child hazard levels noted above

MRI slag crushing operations (around 1,000 feet away from the Kid's Park) tested as high at 537mg/kg of arsenic in the soil (test result 93). Far above the Child Fatality Level.

Birch Street is the route the trucks carrying the slag dust use to get to and from the crushing facility, and has tested as high as 1,339 (test result 58). FAR over the child fatality limit.

We have included the results from the MRI slag crushing soils and the street leaving the plant as we believe dust blowing from these locations can easily reach our Children's Facilities, accumulate at wind stops like trees and playground equipment. If enough accumulates, it could reach the fatal limit of 162mg/kg.

It is important to remember that soil sampling only takes a few inches of soil to test. So, 20 tests at the kid's park can look like a lot, but in reality, it represents only a few square feet of soils actually tested. 99%+ of the soils at the kids park were not tested and it is not feasible to test. Therefore, we have to seriously consider that given the high levels of arsenic in nearby soils and given their propensity and history of blowing off property onto neighboring properties, that there is a possibility that child fatality levels could exist at and nearby to the park and recreation center.

We see the VFW (adjacent to the main slag crusher) testing as high as 324 mg/kg of soil arsenic (test result 77) and we see the Police and Fire block testing as high as 204mg/kg of arsenic (test result 307)

So, it appears based off the soils data, that dust from MRI is already blowing into and contaminating nearby facilities. We will have the official evaluation of the test results by the government in a few months, until then, it seems appropriate to take extreme caution if you or your children use the Cottonwood Recreation Center, walk by these facilities, or the Kid's Park.

As you can see on the Google Earth Map below, the Rec Center and Kid's Park are both between 1,000-1,250 feet from the highest area of arsenic soil concentrations in this part of the City.

Here is a link to the critical wind data for Cottonwood to show that high winds blow from the area tested at the slag crushing facility and its truck route, towards the Rec Center and the Kid's Park.

IEM :: Site Wind Roses (iastate.edu)

Below is a scanned copy of the raw soil testing data from ADEQ for your review. This copy has some of our notes on it, please feel free to use our notes, but to also make notes and conclusions of your own. There are some black lines drawn over addresses. We did not wish to make public any addresses that may wish to remain private, if you would like to see these addresses, you will need to make your own records request with ADEQ.

Please note: 1. That the numbers on the right-hand side coordinate with mapped locations that show where each test result was gathered from in the community. The map is lower down on this webpage for your review. 2. ADEQ and other government agencies are still in the complex process of reviewing and analyzing the impacts of what this data means to the health of our children and our community and will take a few months for their official reports to come out. Until then, feel free to make your own assessments or reach out to experts in the field for expert opinions of what areas might be of concern and how to protect yourself and your children. We have shared some of our opinions on what this means, now it's time for you to put in some effort and diligence to make your own determinations.