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Soil Testing Results

photos by Sam Limanski/graphic edit by Luki
photos by Sam Limanski/graphic edit by Luki

Hello fellow Apogaeans, thanks to the generosity of ACZ Laboratories and some concerned community members, we were able to execute a comprehensive soil test at 11 different sites on the Trinidad land, which were composited into one test result.

We know you have been eagerly anticipating the results of this testing, and so – to make a long story short – our overall impression (based on the testing data and relevant limits for each of the metals we tested for) is that the soil is safe, and free from any significant risk to human health.

Here is the hard data, directly from the testing lab. If you’d like more info, read the rest of this summary blog post, or the full PDF report here.

SoilTestResults1

If you would like to read more about any of the metals we tested for, please see this article. And now, to the interpretation of the results.

**DISCLAIMER** – We are not scientists, so we do not have an purely *objective* assessment for you, in terms of the safety of the soil based on these measured levels. We have done some preliminary research, to be able to give you our *subjective* opinion. We will provide this below, but ultimately, we are making this raw data available so that you can practice radical self-reliance and make an educated decision regarding your safety and that of your family.

Taking all of the lab results and relevant environmental limits into account, our initial impression is that the soil is safe, and that concentrations of hazardous heavy metals is very low overall, and within acceptable risk limits. We do feel, on the whole, that the inherent risks of an event like Apogaea are not significantly affected by the chemical makeup of the soil, and that risks to human health from short term exposure to heavy metals are negligible.

That being said, we are asking for your help (as our intrepid and resourceful community) to interpret these results. If anyone specializes in environmental or biological toxicology, or other relevant field, and is willing to lend some expertise to this discussion, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected].

Here is a relevant chart containing various federal limits:

SoilTestResults2
http://www.occeweb.com/og/metals-limits.pdf(click image to go to this link)

If you would like to dig further into the data and limits we have discovered, please read the full PDF report!

If you are concerned about any of these results, and want to participate **strictly** as safely as possible, here are our initial recommendations: don’t eat the dirt, mitigate dust by putting down carpets where possible, and bring your playa mask, and you should be fine. If you have children, we would encourage you to think about whether you will be able to ensure they will not eat the soil. If they do so, it does not appear from any of these levels that they will be in any grave danger, but due to the presence of some heavy metals, we would advise against it, and as always, better safe than sorry.

In summary, it is our opinion (and again, we are not scientists) that there is little to no risk to human health from any tested element present in the soil. We do not feel any of the levels are elevated enough to require any extraordinary preparation. The soil we will be encountering should not contribute any additional health risk beyond what is commonly expected at Apogaea. Please let us know if you have any extra information or can lend further interpretation to these results by emailing [email protected].