Hurricane Sandy and Soil Contamination.

Soil is great at filtering harmful substances.  Often harmful substances also become buried under layers of soil over long periods of time. When there are large disturbances of soil there is always concern about uncovering old contaminants. Especially in areas that have Superfund sites or sites that the federal government has identified as a priority for clean up because of the hazardous materials located there.

Hurricane Sandy potentially disturbed hazardous soil. Read about it here: Getting the dirt on Sandy!

"As the floods receded, residents of neighborhoods with toxic Superfund canals worried that waterborne chemicals had contaminated their homes, streets and parks, rendering them unsafe. In an effort to understand the extent of potential contamination, two professors have organized a citizen science project dubbed SUDS, or Send Us Your Dirt From Sandy."