How badly contaminated is Blackwell?
In December 2006, dozens of properties throughout the Blackwell area were tested for the presence of toxic contaminants. Samples were taken from house dust, attic dust, lawn soil and water from each property. The findings of these tests are alarming. More than 76% of the tested homes had interior lead levels exceeding the safety standards published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and/or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). More than 60% of the homes had lead levels in lawn soil higher than the State of California’s standard for contamination. More than 90% of the properties had arsenic levels exceeding the EPA’s safety standard. Several of the homes had dust containing 10 to 15 times more lead or arsenic than is considered safe. Lead and arsenic are not the only contaminants that pose a danger to Blackwell’s residents. The area’s groundwater has been found to contain 4,200 times the allowable amount of cadmium, and area wells have been capped as
