Using Fish Bones to Eliminate Lead from Soil

Although the frequency of severe encephalopathy caused by environmental exposure to lead has decreased, many young children, especially in urban areas, continue to have low levels of lead in their blood that can have adverse effects on cognitive function. Removing lead from gasoline was a huge step forward in decreasing the burden of lead exposure in children, but lead in soil from decades of car exhaust and lead-based paint residue continues to be a problem in some communities.

The Environmental Protection Agency in Oakland, California, is about to undertake a novel approach to eliminating lead in soil by mixing fishbone meal into the soil to change lead into a form that cannot be absorbed by the human body. Fishbone meal contains calcium p…