Good news! Nadine contacted the Environmental Protection Agency and found that we do not have high levels of lead in our soil.
Due to a class action law suit, the EPA was required to clean lead-heavy top soils in the NE part of Hamtramck (contaminated by smelting from Commodity Metals). This is the bulletin from 2005, and another from 2006 (which describes the harmful effects of lead on fetuses and children).
This EPA document from July 2007 outlines the agency’s ‘community involvement program’.
Even so, we must still test our soil for other heavy metals or pollutants (such as mercury). We must also check the soil for its PH (acidity), composition, and nutrients to see if it is good for plants to grow.
Hamtramck Urban Agriculture 