Urban lead levels in Minneapolis: The case of the Hmong children

This study uses soil lead as a means of describing the urban lead levels in the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities, and assesses the soil lead levels next to homes of neighborhoods of the metropolitan area. Lead levels of rural soils are around 5 micrograms/g. Near the city limits they increase to 25-50 micrograms/g, and in the central business district they are around 500 to 1000 micrograms/g, or over 100 times greater than in the rural areas. Many Hmong children are suffering from undue lead absorption. The homes of the Hmong children were all located in inner-city neighborhoods. Soil around these homes was compared to soils around homes of a neighborhood away from the inner city. Fifty percent of the Hmong children with lead poisoning inhabit homes which have soil lead levels of 500-999 micrograms/g and 40% live in homes with lead levels of 1000 micrograms/g or more. One home of ten in the outer city has soil lead levels above 500 micrograms/g. The lead sources of the inner city include house paint and leaded gasoline from vehicle traffic. Raising children in high lead environments as found in the Minneapolis inner city has long-term implications because of mental and behavioral deficits that are known to result from chronic exposure to lead.