This information was in the Southern Food and Beverage Museum newsletter and I thought you might find it interesting (it was new news to me):
Dr. Howard Mielke, now at the Tulane Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research in New Orleans, is one of the most experienced researchers on soil lead in the country. He has thoroughly mapped lead levels in the soil in New Orleans over many years and discovered dangerously high levels of lead in the soil, especially toward the center of the city He has shown that levels of lead in the soil correlate very closely with the amount of leaded gasoline burned in an area during the years when leaded gasoline was used. This supports the conclusion that the lead has been deposited in the soil from gasoline emissions, not just lead based paint. This problem is not limited to New Orleans, although it has been well studied there, but can be found in all urban areas.
The problem can be remediated economically by bringing in clean soil and spreading it 6 inches deep over the contaminated soil. If you are growing vegetables, it is important to grow them in clean soil as deep as the roots of the plants. For more information about soil lead, having you soil tested or remediated please contact.
[email protected] Mr. Lake
New Orleans Past
Mr. Lake's New Orleans Forums
