'Unacceptable' Lead Levels Found At 1 Of 3 Closed Cape Cod Ballfields

FALMOUTH, MA — Soil conditions at a Cape Cod youth baseball complex could be worse than originally expected.

A risk assessment report conducted on the now-closed John L. Neill Youth Baseball Complex fields in Falmouth found enough lead in the topsoil of one field to pose "an unacceptable risk to young children if repeated contact with soil beneath the existing turf was allowed."

Lead was found in Fields 2 and 3 at the complex, but only levels found on Field 1 exceeded the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection soil standard. Field 1, however, tripled the state's soil standard for lead.

The report comes after Falmouth announced the fields would be closed "due to the discovery of non-compliant soil and glass."

"The non-compliant fill material, which includes lead, arsenic, zinc and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in excess of allowable state regulatory levels, was discovered during a recent renovation project at the baseball fields," officials said.

Glass was found along and near the surface of walkways leading to and around the fields during the project.

The risk assessment from Arcadis confirmed the presence of "landfill material" underneath the turf and topsoil of the fields, including the presence of antimony, arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and zinc at levels that exceed state soil standards.

So what should the town do about the fields?

The company recommended that Field 1 stay closed and that the town take necessary measures to make the field safe again. Arcadis recommended it do so my installing a "geotextile membrane", or fabric cover that will be placed underneath two to three feet of soil.

Though Fields 2 and 3 don't pose a risk to health for those who come in contact with topsoil, there are still health concerns for those who contact the deeper soil, more of a long-term problem.

Play can start again on those two fields, the company said, but the topsoil should be tested before the season starts in the spring and again periodically during the season.