47-3 Shared Stewardship, Shared Science: Communicating Lead Risk in Co-Managed Boston Gardens

Session: Sharing Geology: Building the Geocommunity Through Creative Engagement (Posters)

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Abstract:

In the Greater Boston Area, community gardens can be contaminated with lead (Pb) and other heavy metals due to the presence of legacy leaded paint and gasoline. These sources can be remobilized to urban soils through wind and precipitative mechanisms, introducing an ongoing public health concern for communities, as exposure can damage vital organs and impact neurological growth and development. This contamination is not evenly distributed. Historical redlining perpetuates racial and economic segregation which are responsible for the disproportionate burden of contamination in low-income communities and communities of color. Urban agriculture in these communities work to increase food sovereignty and security in response to these intersecting environmental and socio-economic injustices. However, within the urban agriculture movement there is concern that gardening may increase exposure to legacy heavy metals. It is essential to understand how legacy contamination impacts exposure risks to develop and apply necessary risk-reduction practices. Spatial metal contamination analysis, conducted alongside urban farm and garden partners, demonstrates a need to re-examine gardening practices and risk-communication to better protect the health of urban growers. 

In collaboration with gardens managed both by a state environmental agency and local conservation groups, heavy metal analysis was conducted using a field-portable X-Ray Fluorescence (FP-XRF) spectrometer. Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)–a methodology that integrates the lived experiences, knowledge, and needs of the community into every step of the research process–was at the core of this research, from the identification of testing needs to the communication of results. Raised beds and farm plots were tested on a granular level to determine Pb variation and assess necessary remediation strategies. These results were then communicated through accessible report-back forms to ensure effective scientific communication between academic partners and communities. 

More broadly, this research is a product of over twenty years of our lab’s direct involvement in urban growing spaces, and a deliberate effort to connect partners across state agencies, local non-profits, academic institutions, and health care fields to motivate and inform change. With a varied and often disconnected landscape of agencies and non-profits in the Boston gardening space, this research reflects the necessity of long-term CBPR in building networks across disciplines to tackle complex public health challenges at the local level.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 2, 2026

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