I've certainly thought about the issue of industrial contamination, which is why I am happy living in an old house that was probably build on farm or woodland.
The hits I got in a google search on arsenic as a contaminant related to the use of pressure-treated lumber. This is a modern hazard, not an ancient one, and it also seems to me to be one which is quite manageable--pressure treated wood is expensive and used sparingly, and fairly easy to identify. I worry more about lead from years of paint scraping than I do about pressure treated wood, and I don't worry much about the lead. I don't grow food plants in the soil immediately adjacent to the house. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cheryl Shipman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "UC Purple List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 20, 2004 9:51 AM Subject: Re: [UC] arsenic in the soil > At 12:42 PM 12/18/2004, Bill Sanderson wrote: >>This doesn't seen to have struck a chord here. >> >>Is there an objective reason to believe that there is a problem? >> >>Soil tests are easy to come by, if you listen to Whyy's gardening progams, >>anyway--does anyone know if such a test includes Arsenic levels? > > > Standard soil tests don't test for metals contamination. When I bought my > house 6 years ago, I did a fairly extensive search and couldn't locate any > that did such testing. The county ag extension office didn't particularly > understand why I was asking the question and recommended several test > sources, none of which test for metals contamination. > > Your friend might be in for a long search. > > Objective reasons to believe there is a problem? I don't know for arsenic > in particular, but it's not at all unlikely that urban soil could be lead > contaminated, have had significant oil spilled or deliberately poured on > it, including PCB contaminated oil. Mercury is not impossible. If anyone > can dig up (yes, I intended that pun) some numbers on soil contamination, > I would be quite interested. I decided my particular house was less likely > than many to have spill over from industrial use, so it might be safe to > eat from my garden including root vegetables. No noticeable ill-effects. > > > Cheryl > > Cheryl Shipman Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships > The ARCH, 3601 Locust Walk [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-898-6066 > www.upenn.edu/curf for appointments > call: 215-746-6488 > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
