David Beckham's MLS stadium site 'contaminated'

According to a report, the analysis found arsenic contamination reaching more than twice the legal limit and hazardous debris in surface-level soil samples at the Melreese golf course, where people have played for more than 50 years.

Miami (USA): The proposed stadium site for David Beckham's Inter Miami franchise in the MLS has arsenic contamination levels more than twice the legal limit, says an environmental report.

According to a report, the analysis found arsenic contamination reaching more than twice the legal limit and hazardous debris in surface-level soil samples at the Melreese golf course, where people have played for more than 50 years.

In some spots, the contamination is near the surface, as shallow as a half-foot (15 centimetres) deep.

The environmental firm EE&G, hired by Inter Miami, took more than 140 soil samples in recent months. Apart from the arsenic, it found barium and lead levels above legal limits.

The 131-acre (53-hectare) site is being considered for a sprawling $1 billion commercial and stadium complex that would be home ground for Beckham's MLS team, Inter Miami.

According to the consultant's report, the pollution underneath the grass on the golf course was caused by contaminated ash from a municipal incinerator shut down long ago.