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Posted On: October 9th 2026, 07:15 pm
Lead contamination in soil tracked inside homes can cause dangerous indoor lead dust levels, even in homes with no interior lead-based paint, according to researchers.
The study was conducted in East Trenton, New Jersey, by researchers at the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute in collaboration with community scientists: members of the general public who participate in data collection under the direction of scientists.
⚠️ The researchers found that nearly 94% of soil samples exceeded screening levels for multiple sources of lead exposure.
💬 “This is especially concerning because all samples were collected from bare soil at the surface, which is the most likely to be accessed by children or tracked into homes,” said Sean Stratton, PhD, a recent graduate of the Rutgers School of Public Health and lead author of the study.
Swipe to learn more. ➡️
In 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added East Trenton to the Superfund National Priorities List after determining there was lead contamination in soil from 19th-century pottery manufacturing plants.
Working with the East Trenton Collaborative, a community organizing and development initiative, researchers recruited and trained residents to collect soil samples from 122 homes. In total, 242 bare surface soil samples were collected. Researchers then collected interior dust samples from floors, windowsills, and window wells in 42 of those homes.
📊 KEY FINDINGS
→ 86% of the 242 bare surface soil samples exceeded the EPA’s 200 parts per million residential soil lead hazard level.
→ 80% of floor dust samples exceeded the safety threshold in homes without any interior lead-based paint.
→ A house’s age doesn’t rule out lead dust, even though the federal government banned consumer uses of lead-based paint in 1978.
💡 WHY IT MATTERS
According to the EPA, lead poisoning can affect brain development in young children, damage vital organs, and cause lasting behavioral and neurological damage. Indoor lead exposure has historically been attributed to flaking lead-based paint.
The work builds on the team’s earlier collaboration with the Newark Water Coalition, which helped t
The study was conducted in East Trenton, New Jersey, by researchers at the Rutgers Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute in collaboration with community scientists: members of the general public who participate in data collection under the direction of scientists.
⚠️ The researchers found that nearly 94% of soil samples exceeded screening levels for multiple sources of lead exposure.
💬 “This is especially concerning because all samples were collected from bare soil at the surface, which is the most likely to be accessed by children or tracked into homes,” said Sean Stratton, PhD, a recent graduate of the Rutgers School of Public Health and lead author of the study.
Swipe to learn more. ➡️
In 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added East Trenton to the Superfund National Priorities List after determining there was lead contamination in soil from 19th-century pottery manufacturing plants.
Working with the East Trenton Collaborative, a community organizing and development initiative, researchers recruited and trained residents to collect soil samples from 122 homes. In total, 242 bare surface soil samples were collected. Researchers then collected interior dust samples from floors, windowsills, and window wells in 42 of those homes.
📊 KEY FINDINGS
→ 86% of the 242 bare surface soil samples exceeded the EPA’s 200 parts per million residential soil lead hazard level.
→ 80% of floor dust samples exceeded the safety threshold in homes without any interior lead-based paint.
→ A house’s age doesn’t rule out lead dust, even though the federal government banned consumer uses of lead-based paint in 1978.
💡 WHY IT MATTERS
According to the EPA, lead poisoning can affect brain development in young children, damage vital organs, and cause lasting behavioral and neurological damage. Indoor lead exposure has historically been attributed to flaking lead-based paint.
The work builds on the team’s earlier collaboration with the Newark Water Coalition, which helped t
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