What to know
- You can find answers to frequently asked questions about soilSHOPs below, including what soilSHOPs are and how soilSHOP events work.
What is a soilSHOP?
The name soilSHOP stands for Soil Screening, Health, Outreach and Partnership. It's a health education and outreach tool. SoilSHOPs are designed to protect people from chemicals, like lead, in soil that can lead to adverse health effects.
What happens at a soilSHOP event?
At a soilSHOP event, we:
- screen people's yard soil for lead at no cost to participant.
- give people same day soil screening results.
- talk to people one-on-one about how to reduce their exposures to lead in soil.
Why should I go to a soilSHOP?
Community and urban gardening offer numerous benefits. Some gardens may have chemicals like lead in the soil from past lead-based paint and leaded gasoline, and from nearby industry. At a soilSHOP, you can learn if your soil is contaminated with lead. You can bring in a small bag of soil from your yard or garden and have it screened for free. You will get your soil screening result that same day. You will also get information about how to reduce your exposures to contaminated soil and produce grown in this soil
Stay informed on soilSHOP events near you!
Follow @CDCEnvironment for event details and share your experience with us! Include the tag, 'soilSHOP" in your post as #soilSHOP.
How do I start planning my own soilSHOP?
A soilSHOP can be a stand-alone event or can be combined with other events.
For example, a soilSHOP could be part of:
- An annual lead prevention/awareness week
- An Earth Day event
- A community focused art program
- A community-based urban gardening program
- A farmer’s market event in a community
- School-based programs
We tailor soilSHOPs to meet the needs of each community.
If you are interested in hosting your own soilSHOP, please contact your regional office.
How is my soil screened?
Trained soilSHOP staff screen soil using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument. The main benefit of the XRF is that it allows for quick, real-time soil screening results. The XRF is a well-accepted and commonly used field instrument for screening soil for heavy metals like lead.