Vegetable consumption and blood lead concentrations

Lead levels of edibles grown in contaminated residential soils: a field survey

Plants grown in lead contaminated soils can accumulate lead from the adherence of dust and translocation into the plant tissue. In order to evaluate the potential health hazard due to the consumption of plants grown in residential gardens contaminated by lead, a survey of the lead concentrations in a typical array of edible vegetables, fruits and herbs was conducted. Samples of garden plants harvested from the field were washed with detergent or water alone to remove adhered soil. They were dried, separated into sections including root, shoot and edible fruit, and then analyzed for lead content using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Soil samples, taken in conjunction with the plant harvesting, were analyzed using flame atomic absorbance (FAA). A pattern of lead transference from soil through the root to the stem and leaves of garden crops was found. The majority of the lead was concentrated in the roots (root:soil ranging from 0.02 to 0.51), with some translocation into the shoots (shoot:soil as high as 0.10). This pattern is a concern particularly for crops in which the root, stems, stalks or leaves are edible. The lead concentration in fruiting vegetables was less than the detection limit of 10 ppm (microgram lead/gram dry plant matter). Some edible portions of the leafy vegetables and herbs, however, were found to have lead levels that, if consumed, could contribute to the total body burden of lead. Therefore, urban gardeners should test the lead levels in their soils and develop strategies to ensure safety.

Influence of fertilizer and sewage sludge compost on yield and heavy metal accumulation by lettuce grown in urban soils

Previous research has demonstrated that many urban soils are enriched in Pb, Cd and Zn. Culture of vegetable crops in these soils could allow transfer of potentially toxic metals to foods. 'Tanya' lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) was grown in pots of five urban garden soils and one control agricultural soil to assess the effect of urban-soil metal enrichment, and the effect of soil amendments, on heavy metal uptake by garden vegetables. The amendments included NPK fertilizer, limestone, Ca(H2PO4)2, and two rates of limed sewage sludge compost. Soil Cd ranged from 0.08 to 9.6 mg kg(-1); soil Zn from 38 to 3490 mg kg(-1); and soil Pb from 12 to 5210 mg kg(-1). Lettuce yield on the urban garden soils was as great as or greater than that on the control soil. Lettuce Cd, Zn and Pb concentrations increased from 0.65, 23, and 2.2 mg kg(-1) dry matter in the control soil to as high as 3.53, 422 and 37.0 mg kg(-1) on the metal-rich urban garden soils. Adding limestone or limed sewage sludge compost raised soil pH and significantly reduced lettuce Cd and Zn, while phosphate fertilizer lowered soil pH and had little effect on Zn but increased Cd concentration in lettuce. Urban garden soils caused a significant increase in lettuce leaf Pb concentration, especially on the highest Pb soil. Adding NPK fertilizer, phosphate, or sludge compost to two high Pb soils lowered lettuce Pb concentration, but adding limestone generally did not. On normally fertilized soils, Pb uptake by lettuce was not exceptionally high until soil Pb substantially exceeded 500 mg kg(-1). Comparing garden vegetables and soil as potential sources of Pb risk to children, it is clear that the risk is greater through ingestion of soil or dust than through ingestion of garden vegetables grown on the soil. Urban dwellers should obtain soil metal analyses before selecting garden locations to reduce Pb risk to their children.

Trace elements in the human environment: Problems and risks

Early studies on the possible influences of environmental geochemistry and health were concerned with major diseases such as cancer or multiple sclerosis. They were generally confined to simple comparisons of geochemical and epidemiological maps and corresponding rural areas. Subsequently, studies of dental health produced evidence for the roles of environmental fluoride, selenium, molybdenum and lead in the aetiology of caries. In recent decades lead has been closely studied. Most people in the western world live in urban areas, rather than rural areas, and research on lead has yielded much information on the distribution of the element in streets, parks and gardens of cities and in the home environment. The role of lead in human health has thereby been better understood. Cadmium, selenium and aluminium are good candidates for future study but success will depend on applying appropriate methods of investigation and here the experiences from research on lead are a valuable model to follow.

Further evidence of a fall in blood lead levels in Wales

Random samples of residents in North Wales, some of whom had been seen in 1976 and others in 1981, were seen again in 1984. Blood lead estimations indicated that there had been a fall of about 5% per year. This is similar to the fall we estimated from two previous studies in Wales and is comparable to changes described in the USA and New Zealand.

Epidemiology and trace elements

Basically, epidemiology is the making of measurements of known reproducibility, in a bias-free manner, on representative samples of subjects drawn from defined communities. Epidemiology has become a relatively precise science and its value in medicine is widely appreciated. So too are its limitations: the difficulties in achieving a high response rate, in identifying and controlling confounding factors in the examination of an association, and the ultimate difficulties in distinguishing causation from association. While the value of community-based studies seems to be recognized by those interested in man and his environment, the need for the strict application of epidemiological procedures, and the limitations imposed on conclusions drawn from studies in which these procedures have been compromised, does not seem to be adequately understood. There are certain known links between trace elements in the environment and disease: for example the level of iodine in soil and water and the prevalence of goitre; the level of fluoride in water and the prevalence of dental caries. The investigation of other possible associations is difficult for a number of reasons, including interrelationships between trace elements, confounding of trace element levels (and disease) with social and dietary factors, and the probability that relationships are generally weak. Two conditions in which associations are likely are cardiovascular disease and cancer. Despite research along a number of lines, the relevance of trace elements to cardiovascular disease is not clear, and certainly the apparent association with hardness of domestic water supply seems unlikely to be causal. The same general conclusion seems reasonable for cancer, and although there are a very few well established associations which are likely to be causal, such as exposure to arsenic and skin cancer, the role of trace elements is obscure, and likely to be very small.