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Most of us are aware that ingesting lead is bad for our health because to various public awareness campaigns. We've probably all heard that young children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure. It can harm a child's nervous system and still-developing brain, decreasing their general growth and ability to learn.
In addition, it can impair a child's ability to hear and speak, as well as an adult's cardiovascular system.
We might have heard admonitions about possible lead exposure from peeling lead paint or outdated lead plumbing fixtures throughout the years. But what about possible heavy metals in our garden soil, like lead? It turns out that there is surprisingly little information available regarding the lead content in the garden.
Numerous inconsistencies
Researchers looked at soil safety regulations from more than 40 of the most populated U.S. cities in a recent study that was published in the American Geophysical Union journal GeoHealth. They found a lot of contradictions. The principal author of "Urban Soil Safety Policies: The Next Frontier for Mitigating Lead Exposures and Promoting Sustainable Food Production" was public health specialist Sara Lupolt from Johns Hopkins University.
According to Lupolt, "what we discovered is that only over half of the 40 most populated cities that we looked at had any kind of policy relevant to soil safety and urban agriculture." "Many of the cities had no advice at all," she said.
Only 10 rules specifically addressing lead-contaminated soil were discovered by the researchers. Additionally, the range of lead levels considered "acceptable" in soil ranged from 34 to 400 parts per million (ppm).
Some of the cities with soil safety regulations also offer services pertaining to soil, such soil testing for urban farms. Austin, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, Denver, Colorado, Los Angeles, California, Louisville, Kentucky, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Minnesota, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phoenix, Arizona, and Washington, DC are among them.
Urban farmers were also given access to site history/assessment services in Tucson, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, Phoenix, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia.
Federal Policy Absent
There are a variety of soil safety regulations offered by our states and localities, but what about a federal government regulation?
According to Lupolt, "We have regulations for the EPA Superfund Program, which is about redeveloping areas that are known to be hazardous. "Those are the rules for residential or commercial property uses. However, there isn't really any federal guidance available for soils used to grow food in urban or rural regions coming from the EPA or FDA.
The Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response of the US Environmental Protection Agency did issue specific advice in 2014 to assist gardeners in lowering their lead exposure. "[The guidance] does not reflect that urban growers may be exposed to urban soils at larger frequencies (e.g., 5 or more days a week) and for longer durations (e.g., 8 or more hours each day) than hobby gardeners," the authors of the GeoHealth study stated. As a result, the suggestions might not be sufficient to shield urban growers from lead contamination.
Steps You Can Take
You can still take steps to lessen your exposure to lead and other soil toxins in the garden regardless of whether your city has safe soil regulations in place.
To someone just starting out, Lupolt explains, "one thing we always urge is to educate yourself with the history of the site that you're expanding on. To understand a little bit more about previous land uses, "do a site history. The history of the site can be especially useful in determining which probable chemicals to search for. Therefore, depending on how the property was previously used, lead may not be the specific thing to seek for. Something else could be the case.
To find out more about your property, you might be able to contact nearby government organizations or simply ask your neighbors if they have any memories. Was a house on the property that was constructed before 1970 demolished? she asks. These kinds of stuff might merely provide you with some hints.
Perform a soil analysis next. Here is a nice online resource for testing soil for heavy metals. Many USDA extension offices are able to undertake soil testing.
Depending on your findings, you might need to cultivate on raised beds with clean soil as opposed to using the native soil of the region for farming. Lupolt advises properly washing your hands after being in the garden and taking off your gardening gear and shoes before entering your home to further decrease your potential exposure to lead.
Before eating any produce, she advises you to thoroughly wash it. In order to ensure that all dirt splashes or soil adhesion is eliminated, peel any veggies that can be peeled.