Soil Test - Soil Contaminants

Soil Contaminants

Common mineral soil contaminants include arsenic, barium, cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, and zinc.

Lead is a particularly dangerous soil component. The following table from the University of Minnesota categorizes typical soil concentration levels and their associated health risks.

Children and pregnant women should avoid contact with soil estimated total lead levels above 300 ppm
Lead Level Extracted lead (ppm) Estimated total lead (ppm)
Low <43 <500
Medium 43-126 500-1000
High 126-480 1000-3000
Very high >480 >3000
Six gardening practices to reduce the lead risk
  1. Locate gardens away from old painted structures and heavily traveled roads
  2. Give planting preferences to fruiting crops (tomatoes, squash, peas, sunflowers, corn, etc.)
  3. Incorporate organic materials such as finished compost, humus, and peat moss
  4. Lime soil as recommended by soil test (pH 6.5 minimizes lead availability)
  5. Discard old and outer leaves before eating leafy vegetables; peel root crops; wash all produce
  6. Keep dust to a minimum by maintaining a mulched and/or moist soil surface

Read more about this topic:  Soil Test

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