Until the publication of this new book there had been a lack of well-founded guidelines for evaluating concentrations of lead in soil and its relationship to human health. Thus, much confusion has existed among regulatory agencies, industries, public health officials, and the medical community about the evaluation and remedying of lead-contaminated soils. Lead in Soil: Recommended Guidelines represents the combined efforts of a multi-disciplinary international task force from the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health (SEGH) whose members are experts in the fields of lead pollution and toxicology. It provides an international consensus concerning environmental lead and blood lead-especially in children. The task force evaluated the evidence and made recommendations for guidelines to appraise lead concentration. It also studied the influence of soil and other sources of lead on blood lead concentrations. A model was prepared that allows the user to select appropriate target levels of blood lead while allowing for a variety of environmental situations or regulatory criteria.

Bobby Wixson is Dean Emeritus of Science and Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences at Clemson, as well as Professor Emeritus of Environmental Health in the Department of Civil Engineering and Dean Emeritus of International Programs at Missouri-Rolla.