Are residents being exposed to harmful levels of iron in the soil?
No. Adult exposure resulting from incidental ingestion of iron in soil on Vieques is not expected to result in harmful health effects; the estimated exposure dose is below the conservative health guideline. Similarly, childhood exposure is also not expected to result in harmful health effects because the estimated daily consumption is below levels known to result in childhood poisoning. Childhood exposure is evaluated further in this section following a brief description of iron, its uses by the body, and recommended intakes. Iron is a naturally occurring element in the environment. In fact, by weight it is the fourth most abundant element in the earth’s crust (LANL 2001). The most common iron ore is hematite, which frequently can be seen as black sand along beaches and stream banks. As a pure metal, iron is very reactive chemically and will rapidly corrode, especially in moist air or at high temperatures. It is hard and brittle, and is usually combined with other metals to form alloys
