Vanadium Background Data Summary
Paul Locke
June 2013
(RED indicates Clay Data)

Sanborn Head client projects (from Mathew A. DiPilato):
 Natural Soils (n=48) AVERAGE = 15 mg/kg; MIN = 4.3 mg/kg; MAX = 63 mg/kg
 No data on Boston Blue Clay (They did not have contamination concerns on those projects so
they just did COMM-97 not MCP 14 metals)
 Fill Soils (n=147) AVERAGE = 20 mg/kg; MIN = 5.1 mg/kg; MAX = 46 mg/kg
o Historic Fills (n=65) AVERAGE = 21.4 mg/kg; MIN = 5.1 mg/kg; MAX = 40 mg/kg
o Non-Historic Fills (n=82) AVERAGE = 18.2 mg/kg; MIN = 7.2 mg/kg; MAX = 46 mg/kg

Haley & Aldritch Soil Data
o FILL MATERIAL: (n=154) AVERAGE = 24.8 mg/kg; GEOMETRIC MEAN = 21.3 mg/kg
 MIN = 5.2 mg/kg; Max = 260 mg/kg
 50th %tile = 22.4 mg/kg; 90th %tile = 35 mg/kg; 95th %tile = 42.4 mg/kg
o MARINE CLAY: (n=85) AVERAGE = 49.4 mg/kg; GEOMETRIC MEAN = 44.7 mg/kg
 MIN = 6 mg/kg; Max = 95 mg/kg
 50th %tile = 50.0 mg/kg; 90th %tile = 72.0 mg/kg; 95th %tile = 89.0 mg/kg
o GLACIAL SOILS: (n=28) AVERAGE = 29.1 mg/kg; GEOMETRIC MEAN = 26.7 mg/kg
 MIN = 11 mg/kg; Max = 53 mg/kg
 50th %tile = 27 mg/kg; 90th %tile = 47.9 mg/kg; 95th %tile = 50.7mg/kg

USGS (1984) “Element Concentrations in Soils and Other Surficial Materials of the Conterminous
United States”
 USGS Report: (n=1319) AVERAGE = 80 mg/kg GEOMETRIC MEAN = 58 mg/kg; RANGE = <7 – 500
mg/kg
o Western U.S.: AVERAGE = 88 mg/kg GEOMETRIC MEAN = 70 mg/kg; RANGE = <7 – 500
mg/kg
o Eastern U.S.: AVERAGE = 66 mg/kg GEOMETRIC MEAN = 43 mg/kg; RANGE = <7 – 300
mg/kg
 Also cited in paper:
o Rose (1979) MEDIAN = 57 mg/kg
o Vinogradov (1959)(presumed worldwide sampling) AVERAGE = 100 mg/kg
o Mitchell (1964) (Scottish surficial soil) RANGE = 20 – 250 mg/kg
o Brooks (1972) AVERAGE = 100 mg/kg
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
New Jersey (1993) “A Summary of Selected Soil Constituents and Contaminants at Background
Locations in New Jersey”
 OVERALL: (n = 80)
 Arith MEAN = 17.6 mg/kg;
 MIN= <0.3 mg/kg; MAX = 165 mg/kg
 URBAN: (n = 19)
 Geometric MEAN = 18.5 mg/kg;
 Arith MEAN = 22.6 mg/kg;
 MIN= 1.0 mg/kg; Median= 21.1 mg/kg; 90th %tile= 39.9 mg/kg; MAX = 46.1 mg/kg
 SUBURBAN: (n = 18)
 Geometric MEAN = 8.1 mg/kg;
 Arith MEAN = 14.1 mg/kg;
 MIN= 0.5 mg/kg; Median= 14.0 mg/kg; 90th %tile= 34.4 mg/kg; MAX = 41.4 mg/kg
 RURAL: (n = 35)
 Geometric MEAN = 6.5 mg/kg;
 Arith MEAN = 17.3 mg/kg;
 MIN= <0.3 mg/kg; Median= 7.6 mg/kg; 90th %tile= 34.8 mg/kg; MAX = 165.0 mg/kg
 GOLF GREEN: (n = 5)
 Geometric MEAN = 8.3 mg/kg;
 Arith MEAN = 11.4 mg/kg;
 MIN= 1.3 mg/kg; Median= 10.6 mg/kg; 90th %tile= 20.1 mg/kg; MAX = 20.1 mg/kg
 FARM: (n = 3)
 Geometric MEAN = 20.7 mg/kg;
 Arith MEAN = 20.7 mg/kg;
 MIN= 20.3 mg/kg; Median= 20.3 mg/kg; 90th %tile= 21.5 mg/kg; MAX = 21.5 mg/kg

Also cited in paper:
 RUTGERS: (n=unknown) AVERAGE = 48.7 mg/kg

TWO SITES IN CAMBRIDGE, MA (Donovan)
 Fill Material (n=87) AVERAGE = 30.5 mg/kg; MIN = 9.1 mg/kg; 95th%tile = 49 mg/kg; MAX =
280 mg/kg
 Clay Material (n=69)
 AVERAGE = 59.8 mg/kg;
 MIN = 17 mg/kg;
 95th%tile = 97 mg/kg;
 MAX = 120 mg/kg

FRESHWATER SEDIMENTS AT TWO MASSACHUSETTS SITES
 (n=11) AVERAGE = 42.6 mg/kg; MIN = 16.9 mg/kg; 95th%tile = 70.8 mg/kg; MAX = 73 mg/kg

AN ESTUARY IN MASSACHUSETTS
 (n=10) AVERAGE = 40.5 mg/kg; MIN = 26 mg/kg; 95th%tile = 59 mg/kg; MAX = 62 mg/kg
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
SHACKLETTE DATA
 New England (n=28) AVERAGE = 84.3 mg/kg; MIN = 20 mg/kg; 95th%tile = 150 mg/kg; MAX
= 150 mg/kg
 Massachusetts Alone: (n=6) AVERAGE = 86.7 mg/kg; MIN = 20 mg/kg; MAX = 150 mg/kg

ORS DATA (1995)
 Massachusetts Sites: (n=30)
 GEOMETRIC MEAN = 7.6 mg/kg;
 MIN = <1 mg/kg;
 50th %tile = 10.3 mg/kg;
 90th %tile = 28.5 mg/kg; BASIS OF PROPOSED RCS-1, ROUNDED to 1 SIGNIFICANT
FIGURE (30)
 95th %tile = 38.5 mg/kg;
 MAX = 46.6 mg/kg

ONTARIO (1998)
 (n=101) 97.5th %tile = 77 mg/kg
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