Knowledgebase
Soil sampling #875542
Asked July 01, 2024, 4:56 PM EDT
Car batteries were discovered on the opposite side of our property fence dumped by neighbors after they did some much needed weed whacking! We have a garden plot directly on the other side of these batteries and want to know if there is soil testing kits that can determine if the vegetables have potentially harmful chemicals. It is hard to determine whether the batteries have leaked, but code enforcement has been reached to request the neighbors properly dispose of them. We worked hard to get the little vegetable plot going so if it can be determined by soil sampling that veggies are safe, we’d like to enjoy them! Otherwise, we will count our losses and let it be. Thanks for advice!
Latah County Idaho
Expert Response
The biggest difference you are going to see in your soil is a spike in acidity, which would lead to lower pH. If you see soils that are significantly lower than the native soil, then I wouldn’t risk it. If there is no difference, then I would test for all the different chemicals individually. To detect the harmful chemicals from batteries, specific tests for heavy metals and other contaminants are necessary. I would test for the following:
- Lead (Pb)
- Cadmium (Cd)
- Nickel (Ni)
- Lithium (Li)
- Cobalt (Co)
- Zinc (Zn)
- Manganese (Mn)
- Sulfuric acid components (sulfates)
These metals can be harmful in high dosages, but plants have a hard time accumulating them. I would say if you have any of these metals I would stick to non-root crops at the minimum, or just avoid the area entirely.
