PMC

Example sample location map for Pb concentrations in dripline soils from Indianapolis, Indiana (USA), displayed as output from an application under development to assist citizen scientists in understanding the distribution patterns of metals in the city. Note that this represents roughly 500 individual properties, with multiple locations “hidden” under circles with high soil Pb concentrations.

Correlation plots of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) for all soil location types. (a) Yard soil, (b) dripline soil, and (c) street soil. The similar slopes for each setting, the strong correlation between them, and their relative enrichment over average soil indicate a strong anthropogenic source impacting their distribution in urban soils.

Map of blood lead levels (BLL) for children tested in Indianapolis from 2005–2015 aggregated at the census tract level (data from Reuter, 2018 []). These results reveal areas in the city with persistent Pb exposure to children, which is likely driven largely by soil and dust sources of legacy Pb from a mixture of leaded gasoline, lead-based paints, and industrial sources (Laidlaw and Filippelli, 2008 []).