Washington State Department of Ecology



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Dirt Alert - Soil Safety Program
Children's hands playing in dirt

New law requires action

In 2005, the Legislature passed a law (RCW 70.140) to keep children safe from polluted soil. The Soil Safety Program is one result of this new law.

Goals of the Soil Safety Program:

  1. Assist schools and childcares in providing a safer and healthier setting for children.
  2. Reduce children's contact with smelter arsenic and lead - especially young children.
  3. Identify child play areas where children come in contact with polluted soil.

The Soil Safety Program provides:

  • Free soil testing at all schools and childcares in the Soil Safety Program Area.
  • Free design assistance, labor and materials to put soil safety actions in place - at schools and childcares with arsenic or lead above state standards.
  • Educational materials for teachers and childcare providers regarding how to keep children safe from arsenic and lead in soils.

Soil Safety Program resources:

The Soil Safety Program is managed by the Washington State Department of Ecology in partnership with Public Health - Seattle King County, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department,  Thurston County Public Health, Washington State Department of Health, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, the Department of Early Learning, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Washington Childcare Resource & Referral Network.

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