New Report Shows Some Montana Lawns May Have Concerning Levels Of Lead Now

Summer is now officially underway, and that means yard work and enjoying your lawn. Whether you want to lay out, relax, and soak up some rays, or get your hands dirty gardening, be aware of a recent report on lead levels in yards across the country.

According to UPI.com, 1 in 4 yards in the United States doesn't have safe lead levels. The report estimates that "29 million U.S. households could be contaminated by soil lead levels that exceed the new EPA guidelines."

It's important to note that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) guidelines for acceptable lead levels were previously set at 400 parts per million (ppm). In January of this year, the guideline was lowered to 200 ppm. Some states have even stricter standards. With these new, lower standards, the number of homes that no longer meet safety requirements has risen to nearly 25%.

The report, initially published by GeoHealth, studied almost 16,000 soil samples from across the contiguous United States. The cost of mitigating lead contamination in all affected lawns could reach over $1 trillion.

Montana is no stranger to lead contamination. Anaconda, Montana, has undergone over three decades of cleanup efforts by the EPA, businesses, the community, and the state itself. The EPA reports that tens of millions of dollars have been spent on cleaning up "almost 100 years of copper smelter operations."

One of the most affordable methods for dealing with lead contamination is "capping" the contaminated soil. This involves burying the contaminated soil under about a foot of clean soil or mulch.