Test finds high levels of lead under Jerome Park ballfields
Thursday, April 22nd 2010, 4:00 AM
Test results obtained by the Daily News through an advocacy group reveal high levels of lead under a half-renovated Jerome Park sports field.
The lead measured more than four times the federal safety standard in one spot.
Last year, the city Parks Department conceded contamination found at Harris Field - used by Little Leaguers, the Bronx High School of Science and DeWitt Clinton High School - would add $5.2 million to renovation costs and keep the 15-acre park closed.
The Parks Department plans to remove the toxic soil and add a foot of fill "where needed," said spokeswoman Vickie Karp, adding the source of the lead is unknown.
Local watchdog Karen Argenti charged the city "knew that Harris Field had contamination."
She cited a 2004 environmental study for the Croton Water Treatment Plant that pinpointed hazardous materials at Harris Field, which borders Bronx Science.
"The city should have done due diligence to avoid these tremendous cost overruns," said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates, which provided the test results.
Of the 15 soil samples listed in the report from October 2009, 13 show more lead than the federal standard - 400 milligrams per kilogram of soil. Ten samples contain more than 700 mg/kg and one 1,754 mg/kg.
Such levels are "unacceptable" and "hazardous to the health of children," said Dr. John Rosen of Montefiore Hospital's lead poisoning prevention program.
Lead became a problem at Harris Field because the Parks Department had to dig drains deep underground after choosing artificial turf sports fields rather than natural grass fields, Croft charged.
The contamination has also hammered kids who play at Harris Field.
The renovations begun in 2008 and were supposed to be finished last spring. But while another Little League season is here, Parks will need up to seven weeks to remove the lead once the cleanup begins, said Karp.
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