Monitoring and mitigation of toxic heavy metals and arsenic accumulation in food crops: A case study of an urban community garden.

ABSTRACT: Urban community gardens have increased in prevalence as a means to generate fresh fruits and vegetables, including in areas lacking access to healthy food options. However, urban soils may have high levels of toxic heavy metals, including lead and cadmium and the metalloid arsenic, which can lead to severe health risks. In this study, fruit and vegetable samples grown at an urban community garden in southeastern San Diego, the Ocean View Growing Grounds, were sampled repeatedly over a four-year time period in order to measure potential contamination of toxic heavy metals and metalloids and to develop solutions for this problem. Metal nutrient, heavy metal, and metalloid concentrations were monitored in the leaf and fruit tissues of fruit trees over the sampling period. Several of the fruit

SUBMITTER: Cooper AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6957986 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature