ORIGINAL PAPER Soil arsenic surveys of New Orleans: localized hazards in children’s play areas Howard W. Mielke • Chris R. Gonzales • Elise Cahn • Jessica Brumfield • Eric T. Powell • Paul W. Mielke Jr Received: 10 June 2009 / Accepted: 17 January 2010 / Published online: 9 February 2010 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract Arsenic (As) ranks first on the 2005 and 2007 hazardous substances priority lists compiled for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Com- pensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). This study describes two New Orleans soil As surveys: (1) a survey of composite soil samples from 286 census tracts and (2) a field survey of soil As at 38 play areas associated with the presence of chromated-copper- arsenate (CCA)-treated wood on residential and public properties. The survey of metropolitan New Orleans soils revealed a median As content of 1.5 mg/kg (range \ 0.2–16.4) and no distinctive differences between the soils of the city core and outlying areas. Play area accessible soils associated with CCA-treated wood (N = 32) had a median As of 57 mg/kg and 78% of the samples were C12 mg/kg, the Louisiana soil As standard. The field survey of play areas for CCA-treated wood (N = 132 samples at 38 sites) was conducted with a portable energy- dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. Seventy- five of 132 wood samples (56.8%) were deemed CCA-treated wood. Of the 38 play areas surveyed, 14 (36.8%) had CCA-treated wood. A significant associ- ation (Fisher’s exact p-value = 0.348 9 10 -6 ) was found between CCA-treated wood and soil As (N = 75). At one elementary school CCA-treated woodchips (As range 813–1,654 mg As/kg) covered the play- grounds. The situation in New Orleans probably exists in play areas across the nation. These findings support a precautionary program for testing soils and wood for hazardous substances at all play areas intended for children. Keywords Children Á Portable XRF Á Primary prevention Introduction Arsenic is ranked first on the 2005 and 2007 priority hazardous substances priority lists compiled for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compen- sation, and Liability Act (ATSDR CERCLA 2005 & 2007). Arsenic is an odorless, tasteless, naturally H. W. Mielke (&) Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities, New Orleans, LA, USA e-mail: howard.mielke@gmail.com H. W. Mielke Department of Chemistry, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA C. R. Gonzales Á J. Brumfield Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA, USA E. Cahn Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, USA E. T. Powell Lead Lab, Inc., New Orleans, LA, USA P. W. Mielke Jr Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA 123 Environ Geochem Health (2010) 32:431–440 DOI 10.1007/s10653-010-9286-x