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Testing fruit for lead #878854

Asked July 26, 2024, 10:13 AM EDT

Hello, I am in Baltimore City, and my soil tested positive for lead (351 ppm). I have blueberries, elderberries and aronia berries growing in the yard and would like to know if I can get them tested for lead so I will know if they are safe to eat. Thank you.

Baltimore City County Maryland

Expert Response

It should be safe to consume fruits grown in soils with a measured lead level below 400 ppm. You can refer to the linked Lead in Garden Soils web page for more information, including how to reduce lead exposure overall when home soils have high levels. Mainly, this focuses on keeping soil off of the harvested crop (mostly leafy greens and fruits that would be close to the ground, like strawberries) by rinsing-off produce well, and by keeping soil covered with mulch or groundcovers so it's not tracked into the house or consumed by children that might put soil-covered fingers in their mouth. Fruits themselves are not likely to have absorbed enough lead to be a health concern, though we do not have a list of any specific testing labs to recommend, and such testing might be expensive.

Since blueberries prefer a strong acidity level (low soil pH) to grow well compared to the recommended soil pH range of 6.0-7.0 (which is only weakly acidic) for keeping lead more "locked in" to the soil and inaccessible to roots, you may want to focus on the blueberries if you have any harvested fruit tested. Even then, though, we think it's unlikely that any levels of health concern will be found in the fruits, since lead is not something most plants readily absorb from the soil.

If useful (aside from lead concerns), we recently created a web page with cultivation tips for Less Common Fruits that includes Elderberry and Aronia (Chokeberry).

Miri
Hi Miri,

Thank you for your speedy and detailed response to my inquiry!

Sincerely,
Arlene

On Friday, July 26, 2024 at 02:25:02 PM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied July 26, 2024, 3:35 PM EDT

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