Determination of lead and arsenic in lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes grown in Barber Orchard soil

Determination of lead and arsenic in lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes grown in Barber Orchard soil

Arsenic -- Environmental aspects

Barber's Orchard (N.C.)

Lead -- Environmental aspects

Soil pollution

Vegetables -- Contamination -- North Carolina -- Haywood County

Vegetables -- Effect of arsenic on -- North Carolina -- Haywood County

Pendergrass, Alisha

2005

Butcher, David J.

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

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61714

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/61714

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Exposure of humans to contaminated soil is a growing concern in the United States. The use of pesticides and herbicides has contaminated soils with trace metals such as arsenic and lead, which can eventually lead to harmful health effects. Lead is known to cause serious health effects including mental retardation in children. Arsenic is known to increase the risk of skin cancer and may be associated with cancers of the lung, liver, bladder, kidney, and colon. There is a concern of health risks from the ingestion of fruits and vegetables grown in contaminated soils. Uptake of metals by plants depends on the physicochemical makeup of the plant species and the soil. Barber Orchard was a commercial apple orchard until the late 1980s. It is a 400 acre site located south of Highway 74 about three miles west of Waynesville in Haywood County, North Carolina. One of the main pesticides used in the early 20th century was lead arsenate (PbHAS04). In 1988, Barber Orchard was developed into a residential community. Due to spills, leaks, and improper disposal of pesticide-contaminated containers and product application, studies have shown arsenic, lead, and other contaminates in Barber Orchard soil. The goal of this study was to determine lead and arsenic concentrations of cultivated and wild plants in Barber Orchard soil. Soil from Barber Orchard was used to grow lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes. Wild blackberries were also gathered to see if there was uptake of lead and arsenic in wild food plants in Barber Orchard. The analysis was done on the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer. The analysis showed no detectable uptake of arsenic from any sections of the wild or cultivated food plants. There was no measurable uptake of lead from any of the food plants, wild or cultivated, growing above soil. The only detectable uptake of lead was in the carrots with an average concentration of 20 � 11 �g/g.

2014-04-28

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Haywood County (N.C.)

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