Determining the concentration of lead in MIT athletic facilities and estimating student-athlete exposure to lead

In April of 2008, there were reports of elevated lead levels in several AstroTurf surfaced fields in New Jersey that motivated this investigation of MIT's synthetic turf field and other athletic facilities for elevated lead levels. I have analyzed samples of chalk, paint, dust, water, air, and synthetic turf fibers for lead concentration and isotopic composition by thermal ionization mass spectrometry. Additionally, blood lead levels were tested in a student-athlete and a non-athlete for control. The synthetic turf, water, chalk, and air analyzed from the athletic facilities were found to pose no significant lead hazard for student-athletes using the facilities, and the tested student-athlete had a normal blood lead level. The dust and paint did not pose a significant hazard to student athletes, but hazardous levels of lead were found in some dust and paint samples. It is recommended that further studies of the lead in duPont Gymnasium paint and Rockwell and duPont Gymnasium dust be performed and the potential hazards to be investigated.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Barnard, Alison M

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Samuel A. Bowring.

• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114364

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/114364