A Blast From The Past !

In the first half of the twentieth century lead was thought to be totally harmless.  It was common for childrens toys to be made from this metal.   Curios stored in countless attics from that period feature toy soldier sets made of that metal and in many cities water reticulation to the homes of citizens was conveyed in lead pipes.  Lead was cheap and easy to work and it was believed it posed no danger to humans.

Today, we know better.  People living in proximity to lead smelters have a serious health risk and it is specially dangerous to children.  It accumulates in the blood and it is known to retard mental activity, and once in the human body it is impossible to remove.  Lead has virtually disappeared from items commonly handled by humans.

Unfortunately, lead casts a long shadow and for the major part of the twentieth century it was an integral part of paint formulas.   Most house paints manufacture before and for many years after the second world war  comprised a mixture of lead and linseed oil.  Its longevity was short and in those days the repainting recommendation for repainting homes was every three years.

It was the nature of lead based paint to deteriorate to a powdery surface as it aged and this needed sanding back before repainting.  Where this repainting gap widened badly the painted surface cracked and peeled, and it was necessary to remove the old paint.  This was achieved by the application of a heat torch in conjunction with a paint scraper and the peelings were usually allowed to fall on the ground and be dissipated over time by the weather.

Unfortunately, lead retains its toxicity indefinitely and it is this practice which is now delivering danger to citizens of this twenty-first century.  The lead powder from paint sandings and the peelings from torch applications settled into the soil around houses and in many cases wind and rain distributed them more widely in surrounding gardens, and today that results in poisoned soil.

Simply working that soil with bare hands is a danger, but vegetables grown in contaminated soil have the ability to transfer lead to the human body and it is quite possible for a home vegetable garden to be the source of family poisoning.   That is particularly dangerous to growing children and can retard their brain development when it is in its most active mode.

Homeowners of property from that danger period before paint moved away from the use of lead are urged to have their soil tested.  Even those living in newer homes constructed after that period would be wise to have the tests because such an older homes may have been demolished to make way for new constructions.  On sloping ground, lead contamination may have leached from higher ground by rain runoff.

There is no action to recondition lead poisoned soil to make it safe.   It is far better left covered by grass or concrete and where a vegetable garden is desired it is better located in raised garden beds and filled with new soil from an uncontaminated source.

Fortunately, the modern trend is for very large new homes to cover most parts of ever smaller building blocks, leaving little opportunity for the extensive vegetable gardens of yore.  The greatest lead danger is for those living in existing old homes with large garden areas, still awaiting the encroaching suburbia to bring renewal.   It seems that home grown vegetables now come with a health risk !