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GBlist: Healthy Homes? Low tech bioremediation
This is the first of a series of requests for information and general
input that concern making an existing old house safer for someone with
acute environmental sensitivities.
LANDSCAPE AND FOOTPRINT
Has anyone been involved with soil bioremidiation on a residential site
or even an accounting of possible soil contamination concerns on an
urban residential site (or even have any thoughts on remediation
requirements for urban residential green areas). Sources of
contamination can pretty well be contained to those that would occur in
standard occupancy of a large family house over a period of 90 years (no
industry nearby). Some concerns for contamination are; hydrocarbons as
the house has had a number of old oil burners and various storage
containers for fuels parked over soils, not to mention vehicles, lawn
mowers, gas and paint storage etc., lead and other metal contamination
of perimeter soil from exterior paint etc.. Other chemical components of
herbicide concentrations might be a concern as the neighborhood seems to
have made various non 'grass' or non 'flower' plant species extinct for
quite a radius.
Soil removal I don't think is an option as I'm concerned that any
radical approach might elevate the toxicity level of any potential
contaminants.
I'm also concerned with what comes next - what forms the next landscape
for this house and perhaps the potential for a landscape that can
incorporate aspects of phytoremediation in its design - something that
can work with the next 90 or so years of polluted environment.
I know it might seem odd to be posting this request for what would
probably be considered a 'non critical' site but I have not looked at an
existing urban residential site for a while and my first impression was
that the existing soils etc. especially those in the dirt crawlspace
(old furnace areas),etc could not handle even the minor cumulative load
over time from a basic house (not to mention the larger city
environment). That coupled with the fact that the client has some
extreme sensitivities based on an acute benzene exposure made me think
that it was something worth considering.
John
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