What Lies Deep in the Garden--Quiet Warnings from Lead and Chromium (February 2004)
2004 Pollution lurking beneath the feet of homes has been quietly attracting attention.
A survey of 134 homeowners' yards and lots found contamination exceeding the standard for lead at 10%, chromium at 14%, and copper at 40% of the sites.
The reason for this is that the former factory sites and residential lots that were converted from built-up soil have quietly left behind memories of the past, despite appearances - soil that harbors heavy metals.
Lead and chromium are widely used in paints, antiseptics, smoke emissions, plating, and other processes, and remain in the soil for a long time.
It was not uncommon to find that the yards of homes had been turned into "former factory sites" without anyone's knowledge.
Pollution is invisible.
However, lead and chromium quietly reach our bodies through children who touch the soil and crops harvested in vegetable gardens.
Many people are still unaware of the connection between daily life and pollution.
Even with the advent of legislation, the home garden was not subject to monitoring.
That is why this survey was the first alarm bell to the invisible reality of pollution in the landscape of our daily lives.
A grain of lead lying under a green lawn is asking us a question.
Where do you know this ground comes from?
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