There is lead contamination in the soil of Oakland! There's lead contamination in all of Oakland, but it's especially bad in West Oakland.
Wikipedia has a really thorough article about lead contamination in Oakland.
Sources of lead contamination
According to Wikipedia, "Lead contamination in modern Oakland comes from three primary sources: remnants from previous industry, deposits from pre-ban leaded gasoline, and paint chips from pre-ban leaded paints.[2][3] Not all areas of Oakland are affected equally: West Oakland's contamination is especially severe, particularly near the former Oakland Army Base, and many of Oakland's poorer neighborhoods also suffer disproportionately (since residents often lack the socioeconomic resources to remediate their lawns, or even to repaint their houses.)"
This page could use:
- how to test your soil
- how to remediate soil
- are there fruits/vegetables/trees that are okay to plant even in contaminated soil?
- alternate planting for lead contaminated soil
