Now, I have done some research on this topic and it turns out that heavy metal uptake in plants is minimal in normal soil pH. It also seems lead in urban soils is a common thing. So the fix would be to bring in some good soil to garden in.
Apparently that is exactly what they did, right Jon?
The article says the soil sucks (which sucks) because of high lead/arsenic content. And that lead and arsenic are bad for people to eat. But it doesn't seem to say that eating veggies grown in sucky soil results in bad things in people. Am I reading it wrong?
ReplyDeleteIf heavy metal uptake in veggies is minimal and, according to the article, people get sick from the *dirt* and not the veggies, is this really a big risk? If the veggies are scrubbed clean and folks wash their hands before eating, how much bad stuff will people ingest?
Side note - I need to stop reading internet comments of people I don't know. They just make me angry and increase my desire for hermitude.
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening/factsheets/misc/cgandlead.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG2543.html
They do say that they can't give the veggies grown in those plots to the food pantry or small children, so it is more than just the soil that is a contaminant pathway, I guess (and confirmed by those extension articles).
ReplyDeleteMy frustration with the article was that it did a disservice by talking in great detail about the risks and not what is being done to solve the problem, thereby making the perceived threat of environmental racism exaggerated.
As you can tell by the comments. I need to stop reading those too. Extremists.
Well, easy solutions are not news, so the story must be spun. The media does a disservice to nearly everything.
ReplyDeleteI'm still not convinced the problem is as overwhelming as it sounds. Both extension articles seem to focus on ingestion of soil as the main concern and say lead doesn’t accumulate in fruits. Then MN says "Generally, it has been considered safe to use garden produce grown in soils with total lead levels less than 300 ppm. Even at soil levels above 300 ppm, most of the risk is from lead contaminated soil or dust deposits on the plants rather than from uptake of lead by the plant." And even goes on to say "If soil exposure to children is not a concern, then plants can be safely eaten from soils with soil lead levels up to 300 ppm."
I’m not really sure, then, why statements in the article such as "now they're faced with food that's contaminated," or "Avery was the only one suitable for gardening" can be valid for gardens on the low end of the 46-802 ppm spectrum quoted.
Also, given the statement about dust deposits and the info about lead in the air from cars, I’m having trouble imagining an urban garden where any leafy veggies are without risk. Perhaps one with large walls as the Cornell info recommends?
The situation is certainly really crappy because it must take a lot of work and care to make sure soil isn't on the food, or tracked into kids' houses by boots. This sort of diligence could create an atmosphere where kids are afraid of dirt, which is not cool. Though, if there is lead in the dirt it seems that kids could eat it, or chew on their dirty hands after playing with a soil-covered ball, whether or not there was a garden planted there.
ARRGHHH - this article frustrates me... Don't bother reading the comments from arm-chair problem creators who, if they spent half as much time getting involved in their community as they do criticizing it, would create a significant amount of energy doing something good. Oh, wait, that would be hard and require me to change my world view.
ReplyDeleteSo let me ask which is better: a weed-strewn, trash-accumulating vacant lot where drug dealers take their dogs to do their business while they do theirs and where children play in contaminated soil - or - a community garden that creates a cap over the heavy metals and provides a great space for people to grow their own fresh food, which they currently can't buy at their local corner store that only sells junk food and beer, leading to high rates of obesity and diabetes... This poorly spun, poorly timed article, as Chris pointed out, does nothing/little to tell people what they can do to protect themselves, which would have been much more helpful. I am not familiar with all of the science behind lead/heavy metals uptake and what to do in case you might grow food in a contaminated site. I did go to a lecture last fall by a nationally recognized health expert who stated that lead uptake by plants is minimal and people need to be less concerned about it than all the hype would have us believe.
That said, I think it is wise and important to take precautions so as to minimize/eliminate hazards from being ingested by young children and that a strong educational component by organizations working on community gardening is necessary. This will likely be the next step Syracuse Grows has to take now knowing the conditions of urban soils.
And, yes, Chris, you are correct. At the Isabella lot, a ten inch layer of clean topsoil was laid down on top of landscaping fabric covering the contaminated soils. On top of this, 18" raised beds were created and filled with a mixture of clean sand, topsoil, and compost.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/garden/14lead.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
ReplyDeleteA much better written article.