Printer-friendlyTAGM 4046 Table 4 - Heavy Metals
| Contaminants | Protect Water Quality (ppm) |
Eastern USA Background (ppm) |
* CRDL (mg/kg or ppm) |
***** Rec. Soil Cleanup Objective (ppm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | N/A | 33,000 | 2.0 | SB |
| Antimony | N/A | N/A | 0.6 | SB |
| Arsenic | N/A | 3-12 ** | 0.1 | 7.5 or SB |
| Barium | N/A | 15-600 | 2.0 | 300 or SB |
| Beryllium | N/A | 0-1.75 | 0.05 | 0.16 (HEAST) or SB |
| Cadmium | N/A | 0.1-1 | 0.05 | 1 or SB |
| Calcium | N/A | 130 - 35,000 *** | 50.0 | SB |
| Chromium | N/A | 1.5 - 40 ** | 0.1 | 10 or SB |
| Cobalt | N/A | 2.5 - 60 ** | 0.5 | 30 or SB |
| Copper | N/A | 1 - 50 | 0.25 | 25 or SB |
| Cyanide | N/A | N/A | 0.1 | *** |
| Iron | N/A | 2,000 - 550,000 | 1.0 | 2,000 or SB |
| Lead | N/A | **** | 0.03 | SB **** |
| Magnesium | N/A | 100 - 5,000 | 50.0 | SB |
| Manganese | N/A | 50 - 5,000 | 0.15 | SB |
| Mercury | N/A | 0.001 - 0.2 | 0.002 | 0.1 |
| Nickel | N/A | 0.5 -25 | 0.4 | 13 or SB |
| Potassium | N/A | 8,500 - 43,000 ** | 50.0 | SB |
| Selenium | N/A | 0.1 - 3.9 | 0.05 | 2 or SB |
| Silver | N/A | N/A | 0.1 | SB |
| Sodium | N/A | 6,000 - 8,000 | 50.0 | SB |
| Thallium | N/A | N/A | 0.1 | SB |
| Vanadium | N/A | 1-300 | 0.5 | 150 or SB |
| Zinc | N/A | 9-50 | 0.2 | 20 or SB |
Note: Some forms of metal salts such as Aluminum Phosphide, Calcium Cyanide, Potassium Cyanide, Copper cyanide, Silver cyanide, Sodium cyanide, Zinc phosphide, Thallium salts, Vanadium pentoxide and Chromium (VI) compounds are more toxic in nature. Please refer to the USEPA HEASTs database to find cleanup objectives if such metals are present in soil.
SB is site background
N/A is not available
CRDL is contract required detection limit which is approx. 10 times the CRDL for water.
** New York State background
*** Some forms of Cyanide are complex and very stable while other forms are pH dependent and hence are very unstable. Site-specific form(s) of Cyanide should be taken into consideration when establishing soil cleanup objective.
**** Background levels for lead vary widely. Average levels in undeveloped, rural areas may range from 4-61 ppm. Average background levels in metropolitan or suburban areas or near highways are much higher and typically range from 200-500 ppm.
***** Recommended soil cleanup objectives are average background concentrations as reported in a 1984 survey of reference material by E. Carol McGovern, NYSDEC.