with a high degree of ethnic diversity and socio-economic deprivation, 60-90 m from an inner ring road trafficked by around 70,000 vehicles per day. The land, which is not considered contaminated land, had metal concentrations below the Swedish national guidelines and relatively low compared to concentrations on other urban soils used for cultivation. Unwashed and washed samples were compared. The research focused on 50 elements found in leafy vegetables. The concentrations were highest in lettuce and lowest in broad leaf parsley – indicating that these two crops were the ones that captured particles the most and least. The elements found in the vegetables were considered “fairly representative” for vegetables grown under conditions found in urbanised regions of northern Europe and north America. However, growing conditions, such as soil acidity, organic matter and plant type can all influence plant uptake of heavy metals. The Swedish site had base pH and soil organic matter, which would restrict the solubility of most metals. More broadly, while lead is the most abundant heavy metal in soils, it’s solubility and mobility restricts its uptake by plants, so high concentrations of lead on plants is thought to more likely come from the air or water, says the study. Cadmium, in comparison, is mostly absorbed by plant roots, which reduces the effect of washing. To read the full paper, go to: Managing health risks in urban agriculture: The effect of vegetable washing for reducing exposure to metal contaminants – ScienceDirect “ There’s been an increasing interest in urban cultivation, with vacant land being reclaimed for gardening and an increasing number of households consuming urban-grown vegetables ” - Rupert Hough, Information and Computational Sciences Group Leader, The James Hutton Institute June 2023 17
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