Super Eco

Photo credit: ngould, stock.xchng

It would be pretty difficult to work at Super Eco and not get excited about gardening. Our inspired team of writers and editors makes it easy to get inspired about growing things, with luscious Flickr photos and how-to's for gardens of every stripe: vegetable gardens, bee gardens, butterfly gardens, urban veggie gardens, even kitchen gardens.

But the thing that's always stopped me is the busy city thoroughfare just a few feet from my back fence. How healthy could vegetables and herbs grown in soil that's so close to all those emissions actually be?

As it turns out, probably not very healthy at all. "Lead and other heavy metals are typically present in higher concentrations in urban soils than rural soils," reports Jennifer Taggart at The Smart Mama. "Lead is present in urban soils primarily because of its use in paints. ... It is also present from its use as an additive in gasoline. Lead is also present in our soils from the pesticide lead arsenate, past and current industrial emissions, and other sources such as lead tire weights (still in use)."

Urban gardeners, beware. You probably shouldn't eat fruits, veggies and herbs grown in lead-contaminated city soil. Children who play outside are likely to get liberal doses of toxic dirt on their skin and in their mouths. And of course, any of us who spend time outside are liable to inhale the lead-contaminated dust.

But don't give up! There are a whole host of solutions for lead-contaminated soil, starting with how to test your soil and interpret the results. If it turns out that your soil is significantly contaminated, adding soil and additives or lining garden beds can prevent contaminated soil from interfering with your fresh soil. Dig up the dirt and the details at The Smart Mama.