March 24, 2016

TO: Residents and stakeholders of the Reading, PA community

FROM: Michael E. Ketterer, Professor of Chemistry

SUBJECT: Studies of lead in Reading residential and non-residential soils

Community members:

I am working with Nicole Brambila, Staff Writer at the Reading Eagle as we undertake a study of lead
in soils at Reading, PA. As you likely know from recent media attention, lead is a persistent poison.
Human exposure to lead may occur through soils, paint, dusts, drinking water, and other sources.

In our work, we seek to study concentrations of lead in Reading soils, and to gain insights into the
relative importance of different historic sources. In Reading, we anticipate that soil lead originates
from past gasoline emissions, lead-based paints, and from significant industrial sources.

We seek your assistance and participation. We propose to collect soil core samples from your yard;
we will use 2 steel tubing to remove cores to one-foot depth; our experience is that these holes cause
no lasting damage. We will only sample after securing property owners written consent.

We will maintain your address and identity as confidential, but are interested in interpreting the spatial
distribution of lead at various locations in Reading; we will utilize your location in modeling and
interpretation. However, in final written reports to be shared with the community, we will use location
error bars large enough to avoid pinpointing your specific address.

We will provide private, confidential written reports to all property owners interested.

We expect to conduct sampling May 6 8; preliminary results to property owners may become
available before the end of May. We anticipate sharing a final report by September 30, 2016.

The Reading Eagle is funding the travel for the MSU Denver researchers to conduct the field work,
however, MSU Denver is conducting this study as a pro bono research project and neither myself nor
our students are receiving any compensation for the study. The Chemistry Department at MSU
Denver is assuming all costs for the laboratory work.

Thank you for your consideration!

Michael E. Ketterer, PhD

Professor of Chemistry
mkettere@msudenver.edu
Phone 1.928.853.7188
 CONSENT FORM

TO: Michael E. Ketterer and Nicole Brambila

FROM:

Name(s)___________________________________________________________________

Address___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Phone_____________________________________________________________________

Email______________________________________________________________________

I have read and understood Michael Ketterers letter (attached) describing the Reading lead study.

I hereby give written consent for collection of soil from my property for purposes of the study as
described in the letter.

_______________________________________________________________Property Owner

_______________________________________________________________Witness

_______________________________________________________________Date