Unraveling a lead contamination quandry

Oregonian blogger Carrie Sturrock called around the country on a quest for commentary about lead contamination in her own backyard. One of the sources she found was UC Cooperative Extension's Don Hodel of Los Angeles County.

Sturrock wrote that she lives in a house built in 1911, well before regulations banned lead in house paint. She deduced that lead sluffed, scraped or sanded from the siding may be in the soil, so she wanted to find out whether eating home-grown fruits and vegetables posed a health risk.

Soil testing revealed elevated levels of lead in her backyard soil. However, Hodel assured her, "Plants don't take it up that much. ... I really don't think it's a danger."

Another scientist had a different opinion. Wendy Heiger-Bernays, an associate professor of environmental health at Boston University School of Public Health, said that at 300 ppm or greater, leafy greens and herbs can take lead up in greater amounts.

Sturrock concluded that she won't quit gardening, but will take some precautions.

"I had thought about growing strawberries on the soil that's at 306 (ppm), but now I don't know -- maybe I'll try tomatoes, which are tall plants," she wrote. "As for the raspberry bushes, most everyone said I shouldn't worry about eating the fruit. Just wash it first."

Read more