Come and join Associate Professor Melanie Kah and Dr Emma Sharp to learn how they are using community science to assess issues of arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) contamination.

Soilsafe Aotearoa is a nationwide community-oriented programme that raises public awareness about the importance of soil health and empowers people to reduce their exposure to toxic trace elements when needed. The work is at the intersection of environmental and human sciences, studying the soil and people's relationship with it.   

Soil testing aspects

Soilsafe invites participants to send soil samples collected from up to five locations around their home. The soil samples are tested by portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and participants receive a succinct report with their soil results. During the webinar you will hear about the method validation and some of the conclusions based on more than 1.000 homes analysed. 

Social science aspects

Soilsafe also runs a series of mixed-method projects that capture diverse community attitudes towards, relationships with, or 'values' of soil. These research findings are being disseminated through a variety of media to ensure that what communities have told the research team about their soil values is returned to them.