Michelle Obama’s Tainted Garden
What’s she up to?
Lead found in Michelle Obama’s White House vegetable garden
It was meant to be a show case for healthy living, with the first lady, Michelle Obama, personally putting hand to pitch fork in a crowd of school children to dig up the first White House vegetable garden in more than 50 years
Thursday, 02 July 2009
It was meant to be a show case for healthy living, with the first lady, Michelle Obama, personally putting hand to pitch fork in a crowd of school children to dig up the first White House vegetable garden in more than 50 years.
Instead, an embarrassed White House admitted today that the plot – whose lettuce, herbs and other produce have been consumed by the first family, visiting dignitaries, local school children and a women’s homeless shelter – had tested positive for elevated levels of lead.
A spokeswoman for the White House said the soil in the garden had lead concentrations of 93 parts per million of lead. Health experts say it is safe to raise leafy vegetables in soil with concentrations of 10-50 parts per million, and urban gardens typically have raised lead levels. However, it is advised for young children to be tested for exposure to lead if they play in areas where lead concentrations exceed 100 parts per million. The Environmental Protection Agency puts the threshold for dangerous lead levels at 300 parts per million.
But even though lead levels in the first garden are far below that danger zone, the disclosure is awkward for a White House which has made prominent use of the vegetable garden to define Michelle Obama’s role as First Lady,and to encourage sensible eating habits in children.
Children are especially vulnerable to exposure to lead, which can cause neurological and kidney damage, and stunt their growth.
Also of interest:
There is no safe level of lead, in soil, paint water, dust or anywhere else.
Period.
I am trying to get a copy of “LEAD BABIES” to the White House, and to Gov. Paterson who is heading up the Task Force on Lead.
They need to acknowledge that small amounts of lead accumulate in the body and eventually become a significant amount of lead – which can pass to a developing fetus during pregnancy, cause permanent damage to the developing brain.
We are not talking about lead “poisoning” – we are talking about low term, low level lead exposure and the eventual impact of small amounts becoming a significant body burden to the detriment of the next generation of children born.
Thank you for visiting the blog, Dr. Cottingham, and for the excellent work you do raising awareness of this very important issue.
didn’t the o’bamas have enough common sense to have the grounds tested before they planted, considering there had been no garden there for over 50 years. Lead can come from a lot of places. How will they explain this. How many people may have been harmed by this?
Low levels of lead can build up in the body, especially in children. Will this be on the news. It should be. If the average peson had planted a garden under these conditions, the EPA would have their heads by now. Interesting to see the outcome of this.
I think it’s mostly thoughtlessness – nobody stopped to think to get it checked, that’s all.