Six months after methane gas was discovered in a housing subdivision in Elkridge, a lawyer for 17 Calvert Ridge families said yesterday that Howard County test results indicate high levels of lead in the neighborhood.

Responding to data from soil samples taken by the county, attorney Pamela Marks of Baltimore, said at a news conference that enough lead is present to cause her clients "adverse human health effects."

"It is disturbing that high levels of lead are in this neighborhood," Marks said. "Right now, we are concerned about many things, including possible contamination."

Jim Irving, director of the county Department of Public Works, said three soil samples were taken in January to determine whether there was hazardous waste.

Irving said those test results were negative but that lead was detected at 3 to 5 feet.

"Any time you have a reading over zero, people are concerned, and I understand that, but we're not saying there is a lead hazard," he said.

Differing figures

Irving said lead found in the soil had readings of 1,100 parts per million and 490 parts per million and 8 parts per million. Irving said it's difficult to use those figures as an indication of too much lead in the area.

"The EPA does not have an official standard of what is safe and what is not safe," Irving said.

An Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet says lead is a naturally occurring element that can be harmful to humans if high levels are ingested or inhaled. Children are in the most danger.

Exposure to large amounts of lead can cause fatigue, irritability, loss of appetite and insomnia, the fact sheet says.

Calvert Ridge homeowner Kathy Angeletti said she is worried about the safety of her three children, ages 9, 11, and 13.

"I am very frightened," she said. "First there was methane and now it's lead. I pray to God every night that nothing happens to my children."

Methane detected last year

Residents suspect that the lead, like the methane gas detected in September, is a result of their homes being built on what was once an unofficial dumping site.

After months of testing, officials at subdivision builder Ryan Homes acknowledged that organic materials were buried there and were the source of the methane gas.

In December, Ryan Homes hired a contractor to unearth the debris; truck tires, lumber, a metal drum, a water heater and other items were found.

Marks said that neither Ryan Homes nor developer Brantly Group disclosed to her clients that the homes were built on an old dumping ground.

Robert Coursey, a spokesman for Ryan Homes, would not comment on a potential lawsuit or Marks' charges of hazardous levels of lead in the Calvert Ridge neighborhood.

"The Calvert Ridge attorneys have decided to use the media to make their case," he said yesterday. "We have been informed by the Calvert Ridge attorneys that they're in the process of litigating against us, and it is our company's policy not to comment on a case that's being litigated."

Marks said several residents have tried to sell their homes but have been unsuccessful.

"It's very frustrating," the attorney said. "My clients invested all of their money and life savings, and now they can't sell their homes."

Pub Date: 3/12/99