Abstract
Urban gardening has become popular in the past decade. Evidences suggest that growing and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables has many health and social benefits. However, urban soils may pose a significant health risk to the public due to contamination from heavy metals, in particular, lead (Pb). Much of the soil in urban areas is contaminated by the historic use of Pb based paints, leaded gasoline, and other industrial activities. This pilot study assesses Pb concentrations in urban garden soils and the behaviors of urban gardeners in New York City. Soil samples from 18 gardens were analyzed for Pb using a field portable XRF Environmental Analyzer. A survey was administered to individuals who tended the gardens to assess their gardening habits. The soil Pb concentrations averaged 373 ppm and ranged 109–1317 ppm. Seventy-three percent of gardeners did not wear any personal protective equipment and half stated that they ate or drank while gardening. The majority of respondents indicated that they just “brushed off” and washed their hands when finished gardening. The findings indicate that these participants work, grow and consume produce from their gardens without knowledge of soil contamination, nor did they take appropriate precautions. The elevated Pb levels in combination of current gardening habits puts the gardening population at risk. Access to soil Pb screening, public outreach and education are clearly necessary.
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Special appreciation goes to all the volunteer gardeners who participated.
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Schmeltz, M.T., Grassman, J.A., Cheng, Z. (2020). Assessing Soil Lead Exposure for Gardeners in New York City – A Pilot Study. In: Vasenev, V., Dovletyarova, E., Cheng, Z., Valentini, R., Calfapietra, C. (eds) Green Technologies and Infrastructure to Enhance Urban Ecosystem Services. SSC 2018. Springer Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16091-3_2
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