EPA is relaxing the cleanup standard for lead removal at contaminated sites to levels dating back to 1994.
The agency said Monday it would increase its removal management level (RML) for lead in soil to 600 parts per million — three times higher than the 200 ppm benchmark the Biden administration set in January 2024.
While the RML is not the default remediation goal — lead cleanup levels are determined on a case-by-case basis for each site — it is the level meant to prioritize cleanups that may pose the greatest health risks from lead, a heavy metal with devastating impacts on developing brains.
The updated guidance is meant “to streamline response actions” so cleanups can be done “in an expedited manner,” John Busterud, the assistant administrator who leads the Office of Land and Emergency Management, wrote in the letter to EPA regional offices.
