NEWARK — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency removed 650 tons of lead-contaminated soil from a former playground and nearby areas on a housing complex in the Ironbound section of Newark, the agency said today.

The $1.4 million cleanup project focused on the Millard E. Terrell Homes, a public housing complex on Riverview Court. The EPA found high levels of the toxic metal in samples collected there in December 2012 and worked over the last year to remove dirty soil.

“Exposure to lead can have lifelong effects on children’s health and their development, which is why the EPA took steps to reduce potential exposure to lead in the soil at the housing complex,” Judith Enck, the agency’s regional administrator, said in a statement.

Exposure to lead can cause IQ deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in children, according to the EPA.

The EPA began looking at the site to see whether a nearby industrial facility had left any contamination there. Scientists found high levels of the metal in the top 2 feet of soil where the playground was located.

The Newark Housing Authority removed the playground equipment and the EPA installed a chain-link fence around the area. The agency conducted cleanup work through the spring and summer, when it also found contamination in other areas of the complex and removed it.

The neighboring property owner, 99 Chapel Street Partners, will install a barrier wall along the property line to stop further contamination of the housing complex property, the EPA said. The agency plans to restore grass and landscaping this spring.

The EPA says it has paid for the work but plans to seek to recover some of the expenses from the parties responsible for the contamination.

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