Tomatoes, but not farm workers, gardeners, safe from soil lead
“If we want to sustainably reduce lead ingestion and inhalation risk across the city, we should be looking at phosphorus and at local sources such as biosolids more closely,” he says
By Lauren Quinn. Eurekalert
University Of Illinois College Of Agricultural, Consumer And Environmental Sciences
July 21, 2022
Excerpt:
URBANA, Ill. – Urban agriculture is booming, but there’s often a hidden danger lurking in city soils: lead. A recent University of Illinois study showed universally elevated lead levels in soils across Chicago, an urban ag hotspot.
Scientists don’t know much about how vegetables and other crops take up and accumulate lead in real-world settings, but new U of I research in Chicago backyard gardens shows tomatoes are likely safe to eat, even when grown in highly lead-contaminated soils.
“There was so little lead accumulation in the fruits, we estimate the average adult male would have to eat almost 400 pounds of tomatoes per week to reach toxic levels,” says Andrew Margenot, assistant professor in the Department of Crop Sciences at U of I and co-author on the new study. “However, a lower body weight child of about 60 pounds would need to eat ‘only’ 80 pounds of tomatoes per week – still quite a bit, but a lower threshold of consumption.”
It’s good news for urban agriculture, but there’s a potential caveat for home gardeners and other urban agriculturalists.
“It’s not the fruits I worry about, it’s the practices of tillage and planting. That’s where you get exposed,” Margenot says. “If you magically have no exposure to contaminated soils to get to the fruit stage, or if you mulch the heck out of the soil and wear a suit and respirator, you’re golden. But, of course, we all know it doesn’t happen that way.”
That’s because when we work contaminated soil, plant into it, or track it into our homes, we end up inhaling it. Lead can also end up in the fine dust on the skin of tomatoes, leafy greens, and especially root vegetables. With improper washing, we eat it right up. And, depending on the soil lead concentration, a little can have big health impacts.
