The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Addresses Lead Contamination in East Trenton

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is addressing lead contamination at three public parks in the East Trenton neighborhood. In January 2024, the agency coordinated with the City of Trenton to collect and analyze soil samples at the Sony Vereen Playground, Breunig Avenue Park, and Grant Avenue Playground.

The EPA found elevated levels of lead in the soil at all three of the parks and on Tuesday installed lead awareness signs at each. The EPA is now working with the city to develop a plan that would protect community members from lead contamination. Some areas of the parks will be closed, and others will remain open as EPA works to cover areas of soil and grass that are contaminated to prevent people from being exposed to lead in each park.

Until the EPA has completed its work, park visitors should pay attention to signage and fenced off areas where EPA work is ongoing to avoid being exposed to lead in the soil at the parks. Because some exposure is always possible, people visiting parks should take the simple steps below.

• Avoid digging or disturbing the soil.

• Wash hands thoroughly after visiting the parks, especially before eating.

• Remove shoes before entering homes and buildings to avoid tracking in contaminated soil.

• Supervise children closely and prevent them from putting dirt in their mouth.

In 2020, the EPA began investigating the pottery industry as a potential source of lead contamination in the soil in East Trenton. The EPA continued sampling residential properties, public schools, and parks in the East Trenton neighborhood in 2023 and 2024.

So far, the EPA has sampled over 130 residential properties in East Trenton and discovered many with elevated concentrations of lead in the soil. Over the next several months, the EPA will be installing protective measures at impacted residential properties to reduce lead exposure to vulnerable populations such as young children and pregnant women.

The EPA will continue to offer free soil testing to residential property owners inside the East Trenton Study Area in the spring and summer of 2024. If you would like the EPA to test the soil at your own property for free, please call Jonathan Byk at (347) 899-6210.