Contaminant Transfer From Contaminated Urban Garden Soils To Plants-Do We Need To Worry?.

Tens of thousands of brownfields can be found in cities, towns, and rural areas across the USA. Our work has focused, in part, on the conversion of urban brownfields to garden areas and is motivated by the increasing interest in locally produced foods. This presentation will highlight the latest Kansas State University research data on contaminant uptake by food crops grown on several brownfield sites across the U.S. After thorough evaluation of soil properties suitable safety/corrective measures were suggested and implemented. Field test plots were established within the community gardens and three vegetable crop types with three very different growth and contaminant uptake patterns were planted over two growing seasons. Associated best management practices focusing on reduction of contaminants transfer from urban garden soils to plants will be discussed using urban garden sites located in Kansas City, Missouri; Tacoma and Seattle, Washington; Indianapolis, IN, Pomona, CA; and Philadelphia, PA as examples.  Contaminants associated with these sites were lead, arsenic and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).