SEJ
Published on SEJ (https://www.sej.org)

Home > "Contaminated Soil Lingers Where Apples Once Grew"

"Contaminated Soil Lingers Where Apples Once Grew" [1]

"YAKIMA, Wash. — At homes and day care centers throughout Central Washington, children play in yards contaminated with lead and arsenic.

The state’s Department of Ecology knows about this, and has for decades.

But many parents and caregivers still do not, despite the risks these chemicals pose specifically to children.

Until the 1950s, Northwest apple growers spent decades spraying lead arsenate pesticides in a never-ceasing battle against the codling moth, which once threatened the country’s most productive tree fruit region."
 
Tony Schick and Courtney Flatt report for EarthFix/Oregon Public Broadcasting October 12, 2015. [2]

Agriculture [3]
Chemicals [4]
Environmental Health [5]
Pollution [6]
Northwest (OR WA) [7]
Public [8]
Source: EarthFix/OPB [2], 10/13/2015
  • Contact Us  |
  • Donate  |
  • Join  |
  • Members  |
  • Privacy & Security Policies  |
  • Reach SEJ Members  |
  • Renew  |
  • Site Map
The Society of Environmental Journalists
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone: (202) 558-2055
Email: sej@sej.org
© 2026 The Society of Environmental Journalists. All Rights Reserved.
All graphics © SEJ, unless otherwise stated.

Source URL:https://www.sej.org/headlines/contaminated-soil-lingers-where-apples-once-grew

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/headlines/contaminated-soil-lingers-where-apples-once-grew [2] http://www.opb.org/news/article/contaminated-soil-lingers-where-apples-once-grew/ [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/agriculture [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [7] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [8] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81