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PROJECT PROFILE: CASH-MAP
CAmden Stormwater Heavy-Metal Analysis and mapping Project 
About 

This project analyzes stormwater samples collected from flooded roads in Camden, NJ, after heavy rain events. The samples were analyzed for lead (Pb) and other heavy metal contaminants (mercury, cadmium, arsenic) to identify potential heavy metal exposure to children and community members. Besides, GIS maps were created to investigate contaminant trends related to social and built environmental factors.

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Camden has a rich industrial history, which has resulted in many different types of legacy contaminants deposited in soils around the city. Across the Delaware River in Philadelphia, it has been observed that the concentration of the toxic heavy metal lead (Pb) in the blood of children is correlated with the amount of Pb in the soil where the children live, suggesting that the children of Camden are also at risk for Pb poisoning. Alarmingly, Pb impairs the development of the central nervous system in children, leading to reduced cognitive ability and lower IQ. The situation in Camden is further complicated by the city’s combined sewer and stormwater infrastructure, which commonly floods into neighborhoods, parks, rivers, and creeks after moderate to heavy rain events that are increasing in frequency in the region due to climate change. 

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Rowan University was awarded a $25,000 grant from the South Jersey Institute for Population Health (SJIPH).

Please contact meenar@rowan.edu with any questions.

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Camden

New Jersey

Project Team

Mahbubur Meenar, Ph.D. (Lead-PI, Rowan University) | Thivanka Ariyarathna, Ph.D. (Co-PI, Rowan University) | David Salas de la Cruz, Ph.D. (Co-PI, Rutgers University-Camden)

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Community Partner

Shaneka Boucher (Social Responsibility Through Me, Camden)

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Research Collaborators

Eli Moore, Ph.D., Research Chemist, U.S. Geological Survey | Jonathan Foglein, Laboratory Technician, Rowan University | Lei Yu, Ph.D., Professor, Chemistry, Rowan University

Posters

Poster presentation “Stormwater Heavy-Metal Distribution in Camden, NJ” by Angelina Lewis et al. (2024) at the annual meeting of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry - Hudson Delaware Chapter, Princeton, NJ.

Poster presentation “CHITOSAN –UREA COMPOSITE FILMS: REMOVAL EFFICIENCY OF HEAVY METAL IONS" by Arturo Ochoa et al. (2024) at the American Chemical Society (ACS) National Conference in New Orleans, LA.

Poster presentation “Lead in Camden’s stormwater: connecting sample locations to environmental factors" by Graham Luther et al. (2024) at Rowan University Summer Undergraduate Research Program  symposium, Glassboro.

Flooding in Camden
Flooding in Camden by CBS News
Picture by Susan Harris

Read the report "Camden: Rising Above the Floodwaters" by New Jersey Future

Camden flooding pictures. Courtesy: CBS News

Photo: Susan Harris

Courtesy: NJ Future

Major Tasks
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Collect stormwater samples from flooded streets after heavy rain events

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Analyze stormwater samples for heavy metal contaminants (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic) to identify potential heavy metal exposure to children and community members

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Create maps of heavy metal concentrations and investigate contaminant trends related to environmental factors (e.g., built environment, social environment)

Instructions for participants (sample collections have been discontinued)

How to collet dust sample

How to collect water sample

CASH-MAP project introduction

​Written instructions to collect dust and water samples >> Dust sampling instructions | Water Sampling Instructions

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