Mechanisms to Reduce Risk Potential

Urban agriculture is gaining attention as a means to revitalize abandoned urban properties. The recent interest in this practice over the past decades has provided increased food security for low income families and city residents (Lovell 2010). Urban residents can either grow their own food, be part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, or gain easier access to affordable supplies of vegetables or fresh produce from local farmers markets – reducing the food deserts in these cities. One of the major challenges of growing vegetables in formerly blighted properties in an urban environment is the possibility of soil contamination. Concerns about the perceived human health risk of gardening in urban soils due to possible or real contamination continue to deter potential gardeners from growing crops on blighted, formerly used properties. Common urban soil contaminants include lead (Pb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (Spittler 1979; Chaney et al. 1984; Alloway 2004; Roussel et al. 2010). Of these contaminants, Pb is by far the most dominant and wide-spread in urban environments. Soil remediation or managing risk posed by contaminants can be challenging as a result of poor soil quality and the presence of co-contaminants. Options such as raised-bed gardening or soil replacement can be physically and financially restrictive. Therefore, there is a great need for sharing science-based knowledge on risk management associated with Pb and other urban soil contaminants.