lead contamination of soil
Testing found high levels of lead in me. Since I do not know the source, I am testing first our well water. If we have lead in our water, can we assume that it will also be in our soil? I often have worked without gloves. Also, what is a reliable way to test the soil in our garden and fields for lead? There is a inexpensive test kit that is sold in hardwares. What would we do to remediate if there is lead in our soil? Thanks, Mary
Tags: soil test
November 9th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
You can get your soil tested for lead at most Ag labs. If your soil is high in lead, it is usually from old flaking paint deposited in the soil or from living near busy highways (when leaded gas was the norm) or airborne lead from local industries. If your soil proves to have high levels of lead, two things can help keep the lead bound up and less available to plants. Adding lots of organic matter, since organic compounds bind lead and make it less available to the plants. Also, keeping the pH of your soil above 6.5 will make the lead less available to the plants. There are lots of good websites with info about lead in the soil, just search under “lead in soil”.
Good luck.