BILLINGS — RiverStone Health is offering free soil testing for lead at Gainan's Heights Flowers and Garden from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Watch the story here:
“We can test for lead, and then based on the results, we can give them some education and some guidance as to what it might look like going forward,” said Ellie Lanz, the early intervention services coordinator at RiverStone Health. "I think it's just a really good idea if you do live near old structures or have old structures in and around your house, and there's friction and there might be, you know, some lead dust."
Anyone can bring up to five quart-sized clear bags full of dry, debris-free dirt to be tested for lead.
"It's free and it's good to know. I mean, you know, it's great to have a grasp and a handle on what's in your backyard, what you might be gardening in, what your kids are playing in," Lanz said.
Little lead testing has been done in Yellowstone County, so the risks in the soil in the county remain unknown. That is why this is the second year RiverStone and the health department are teaming up to offer soil testing for lead. Last year, out of around 50 samples, a few came back with high levels.
"There were a few samples that were of concern, and so that kind of threshold is above 200 parts per million," Lanz said. "If you're gardening in that soil, that would be an issue."
