Abstract
Lead (Pb) was identified at a former U.S. refinery that operated prior to 1950, when tetraethyllead was a common gasoline additive. Initial soil samples tested positively for Pb in organic extractions, leading to the health-protective assumption that all so-called “organolead” was tetraethyllead. Gas chromatography electron capture detector analysis of site soils demonstrated that the organolead did not contain alkylated Pb. Rather, it was inorganic Pb most likely bound to humic and fulvic fractions in soil organic matter. Evidence is presented that those forms of Pb would have a bioavailability similar to that of other inorganic Pb species, producing a better understanding of site health risks.