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Understanding the Gardening Pathway: Risks and Best Management Practices for Safe Urban Gardens

This presentation discusses the gardening pathway, addressing the potential risks associated with urban gardening in contaminated soils. Topics include the importance of soil testing, contaminants of concern like lead and arsenic, and MassDEP regulations. We also explore alternative management practices, the notion of 'clean' gardening, and how to best educate gardeners about risks and mitigation strategies. This informative session emphasizes the need for thorough risk assessment methodologies to ensure the safety of homegrown produce in urban environments.

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Understanding the Gardening Pathway: Risks and Best Management Practices for Safe Urban Gardens

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Presentation Transcript

  1. Food for Thought Paul W. LockeMassDEP Bureau of Waste Site CleanupOne Winter Street Boston, MA 02108 Paul.Locke@state.ma.us Addressing the Gardening Pathway

  2. 1. Let’s Talk About Gardens • Who here gardens? • How large is your garden? • Who is still eating homegrown produce in January?

  3. 2. Let’s Talk Garden Soil • Who has tested the soil intheir garden? • Why? • Why Not?

  4. 3. What Are You Concerned About? Arsenic Cadmium Chlordane Chromium Lead Nickel PCBs Zinc

  5. 4. Let’s Talk MCP & Gardens • Current Requirements • Method 1 • Incorporated into S-1 Standards • No S-1 Standard BASED on Gardening • Several Standards MODIFIED by Gardening Pathway

  6. 4b. Let’s Talk MCP & Gardens • Current Requirements • Method 3… issues… • MassDEP published PUFs(Plant Uptake Factors) • Associated with Current Residential Use • Therefore can’t be AUL’d • Tends to drive risk/cleanup

  7. 5. Universe of Concern Locations Exempt from MCP, Locations Excluded from MCP, Locations consistent with Background … BUT still could pose a risk… MCPSITES WARNING: Graphic NOT drawn to scale!

  8. 6. Issues to Address • Quantitative risk estimates of gardening pathway may not be of sufficient quality for remedial decisions. • Risks are real, if difficult to quantify. • Sites outside MCP process would benefit from broader approach • Method 1 vs Method 3 consistency needed

  9. Pause & Reflect

  10. Gardening in Urban Soils W. Heiger-Bernays & Many, Many Students & Collaborators BU School of Public Health whb@bu.edu

  11. “Backyard” Gardens Gardens – Not all Created Equally Boston Community Gardens VS

  12. Garden Pathway is of Concern • Lead & Arsenic • PAHs • Many Others! Exposure is REAL (multiple routes)!!! Toxicity of these agents is understood Alternative Approach

  13. Best Management Practice • Due diligence • Convincing evidence of the life of the property • Assume presence of Pb, As, PAHs… others • Assume unlimited access, exposure & absorption • Limit exposure to existing soils – removal • Replace with “clean” material & cover adjacent areas • Education of gardeners

  14. Confirm Use of “CLEAN” Compost & Soil

  15. Acknowledgements • Boston Natural Areas Network (V. Tikku) • USEPA Region 1 Laboratory • D. Brabander @ Wellesley College • MPH Students (A. Chen, S. White, C. Ambrose & K. Merchant-Borna) • Students in course EH765 2010 • Jiayang Chen, J. King & D. Bax • Funded by the Boston Department of Neighborhood Development & BU SPH Superfund Research Program

  16. Back to MassDEP…

  17. 7. Preliminary Thoughts • Discontinue quantitative evaluation of gardening pathway • Base Method 1 standards & Method 3 risk estimates on more direct exposures (e.g., dermal & ingestion). • Develop & Push qualitative approach – BMPsAppropriate to MCP and non-MCP locations • Question of notice & AULs?

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