Monday, August 11, 2008

There is Lead in the Lettuce

First you can't trust the global supply chain, and now this!!!

What does it matter; it was so wet and cool around here this year, nothing really grew much.

Garden is going to be a loss.


"Lead may lurk in backyard gardens; Contamination of soil common" by Beth Daley, Globe Staff | August 11, 2008

As backyard vegetable gardens undergo a renaissance, environmental officials and scientists are warning homeowners to be careful before planting the carrots and chard: There might be lead in the soil.

Flakes of lead paint from old homes often create a halo of contamination around houses that vegetables can take up. Remnants of leaded gasoline might also be in the soil, especially near busy roads. While the problem is pervasive in urban areas, suburban homes that were built on or near apple orchards are also at risk because lead arsenate was once used regularly as a pesticide. The heavy metal can remain in soil for hundreds of years.

(Sounds of blog author spitting out his lunch)

In adults, lead can cause or contribute to high blood pressure, reproductive problems, and memory loss.

I guess that explains the hypertension, impotency, and... what was I talking about?

Backyard gardening tends to spike during tough economic times. During the energy crisis in the 1970s when President Gerald Ford urged people to plant Whip Inflation Now, or WIN gardens, 49 percent of households grew vegetable gardens.

Are you READY for a WORLD WAR?!!!!!!!!

That's the IMPLICATION, readers!!

TOUGH TIMES ahead, America!!!!

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