Site Investigation Barth Smelting Corporation Newark, New Jersey Community Update WHY IS LEAD A PROBLEM? Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in paint and leaded gasoline. Lead poisoning can cause a number of harmful health effects, particularly in children under the age of six. Exposure to lead in soil can occur when children play in the dirt and put their hands or dusty toys in their mouths. Lead can also get into your body by breathing or swallowing lead dust, or by eating soil or paint chips containing lead. WHAT IS LEAD SMELTING? Lead smelting plants re-refine scrap or used lead materials into metallic lead of a higher purity. Such material can be the lead plates from batteries and lead pipe or sheets that contain lead. Secondary smelting can be responsible for releasing large amounts of lead into the surrounding environment. The smelting process can be a major source of lead fume emissions. Lead dust and smoke can be released during the smelting process, and slag contaminated with lead may be left over after the smelting process. February 2013 SITE INVESTIGATION In December 2012 EPA sampled soil at the Terrell Homes playground area and in backyards from two residential homes along Chapel Street. The samples were analyzed for metals, in particular lead that could be associated with the former Barth Smelting Corporation facility. Results show that lead levels are above the EPA's Residential Screening Level of 400 parts per million (ppm) in surface and subsurface soils in the old playground areas at the Terrell Homes housing complex along Riverview Court, and in the two residential backyards that were sampled along Chapel Street. NEXT STEPS EPA has recommended that access to the playground area be restricted to minimize contact with lead contaminated soil. EPA will be conducting further soil sampling in unpaved/grassy areas of Terrell Homes and will host a public information meeting in the coming weeks for the community to explain the results, and answer any questions the residents may have. SIMPLE STEPS TO REDUCE YOUR LEAD EXPOSURE EPA and the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) recommend the following steps be followed to reduce your potential exposure to lead contamination that may be present in the surface soils: ? Keep children away from all bare soil areas, and cover any bare soil areas that may be on your property. Maintain any grass already present in your yard. http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/removal/barth/index.html Community Update If you would like additional information, please contact: Natalie Loney Community Involvement Coordinator (212) 637-3639 loney.natalie@epa.gov Sophia Kelley Community Involvement Coordinator (212) 637-3670 kelley.jessicasophia@epa.gov Or toll free at (800) 346-5009 For health related questions, please call: Leah Graziano, Regional Director Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (212) 637-4305 February 2013 ? Remove shoes at the door to prevent tracking in any dirt that may be on your shoes. ? Adults and children should frequently wash hands and face, especially after they come inside from outside. ? If you are a smoker, wash your hands before smoking. ? Wash your hands after working in the yard, and before eating or drinking. ? Use a damp mop and cloths to keep floors, SITE BACKGROUND other surfaces clear of children's toys and The dust. Smelting Corporation, which was located at Barth 99 Chapel Street in Newark, NJ, was a secondary lead smelter that operated from the 1940s until approximately 1982. The property has since been sold and is now an operating cargo company. Peter Dillon Jr City of Newark Health Department Director of Inspections Department of Child and Family Well-Being (973) 733-4315 Shonda Bryant City of Newark Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Coordinator (973) 733-5323 http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/removal/barth/index.html