Potential Negative Consequences of Adding Phosphorus-Based Fertilizers to Immobilize Lead in Soil.

The article presents a study that analyzed the potential negative consequences of adding phosphorus-based fertilizers to immobilize lead in soil. Strong linear correlations were shown by soil-metal concentrations for antimony (Sb) and lead (Pb) from various surface soils taken from the firing ranges at all three sites in the U.S. Also examined was the mobility of Sb and arsenic (As) in leachate collected from columns of amended and unamended soils. The study revealed that arsenic concentrations are high in groundwater at approximately 30% of contaminated sites in the U.S.