Here's an extract from an article in the Amateur Gardening Magazine which might give you food for thought........or not! "Allotment gardners whose plots were "poisoned" with Arsenic have been told they can eat their vegetables with "management guidance". Last year 50 plot holders at the Milner Royd Allotments, Halifax were advised not to eat their home grown crops. Tests showed that veg grown on the plots, which are near an old tip, contained Arsenic, Lead, and Hydrocarbons. After considering a report, Calderdale Council said that the gardeners can carry on "They have been advised to take reasonable precautions in washing and preparing produce." said a spokeswoman. Some gardeners quit, including former site Chairman Bruce Fitzgerald, "There is contamination and I have to think of my childrens welfare" he said. Ernie Holden, who replaced him, said he was one of several plot holders who have continued gardening and eating the veg through the scare with no ill effects." I've got to admit I wouldn't take any Councils advice when it came to a matter like this. Would you???
I wonder how much toxic metals those of us old enough to have breathed air laden with exhaust fumes before the unleaded days. I think (and could be wrong) that plants only take up the minerals they need, so if they don't need lead or arsenic, I believe it gets left in the ground. I could very easily be wrong about that though.
You could always ask the plot holders at the Milner Royd Allotments, Clueless. I'm sure they will be able to tell you
Arsenic and other heavy metals are readily taken up by fungi, which concentrate them in the fruiting bodies so i'd be hesitant to eat mushrooms off the land. Our bodies can tolerate a small amount of some heavy metals, we loose them in our hair, but some like mercury & lead (maybe cadmium too) will build up in our systems. Copper can be a problem, esp. if you have the genetic condition, Wilsons Disease, that stops you excreting copper & makes you barking. Don't take my word for it, that was all off the top of my head, for more detailed info have a google.
