There is currently a global soil crisis. An entire third of all soil is degraded, and declines in the quality and amount of soil will greatly impact the current food supply. It is easy to assume that most soil in gardens is healthy and safe, but is all garden soil really the same?
Researchers at the Hopkins Center for a Livable Future have recently discovered that soil in urban areas is not as safe as we may assume. The urban environment can impact soil in such a way that heavy metals, asbestos and petroleum products exist in the soil for long periods of time. This is often the result of processes that occurred in the same area prior to the garden existing. For example, factories and manufacturing technologies can inadvertently let dangerous substances leave the factory, and they remain in the ground until removed. If they are not detected and eliminated properly, they easily make their way into any soil placed on top of them. Proximity to streets with large amounts of traffic can also result in harmful substances entering urban soils.
Unfortunately, soil contamination poses a threat to individuals who eat the food grown in the soils in addition to harming those who grow the food. The Hopkins researchers have been interviewing urban gardeners in Baltimore City as well as those who have jobs related to this problem of urban soil contamination.
The intent of the researchers is to determine whether urban soil can be dangerous, and how so, as well as how to mitigate any risks posed by soil. The researchers emphasize that there are a variety of routes of exposure to the harmful contaminants found in soil, including simply walking on the soil. Exposure also has the potential to increase risks of other diseases. Parents should especially be careful that children do not play in soil that might be contaminated because the contamination can have worse effects on children than adults.
With the high amount of industrialization and pollution in many cities, gardens and healthy soil can be worth their weight in gold and allow for many health benefits. Urban gardens are especially attractive to “locavores” who emphasize only eating foods that are grown close to home, and individuals looking to save some money by growing food rather than buying it. These types of gardens also attract those who want to eat organically grown food, like to know exactly how their food has been grown and want to know if any pesticides have been sprayed on it.
While it is certainly not necessarily bad to garden and to have contact with soil, individuals should just be aware of where their soil comes from and what types of buildings may have existed where the garden now stands. Other protective measures that can be taken are to place gardens as far away from old buildings, and buildings in general, as possible, and use fences to prevent dust from the street from entering the garden. Individuals should also wash their crops well before eating them and wash their hands after gardening to ensure that no harmful chemicals remain.
