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Invited Perspective: Assessing the Contaminant Exposure Risks of Urban Gardening: Call for Updated Health Guidelines

Authors

Saikawa, E. and G. M. Filippelli

Lab Members

  • E. Saikawa

Abstract

The lack of access to fresh produce in so-called “food swamps” (areas where there is an abundance of nonhealthy food options) and “food deserts” (areas where there is limited access to fresh produce) is a widely recognized health challenge. Urban farming has been blossoming over the recent years to address this problem. In many places, vacant lots are increasingly turned into growing spaces, and supply chain disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic has reenforced the importance of home gardening (Lal 2020). However, urban soils often contain elevated levels of heavy metals and metalloids (HMM) from various roadway, housing, and industrial sources, and exposure to some of these HMM can be harmful to human health. Recent research has further emphasized the strong connections between soil lead (Pb) concentrations and children’s blood Pb levels (Mielke et al. 2019).

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