Agro-Environmental Public Health: Characterizing the uptake of trace elements by urban and rural grown produce 

Monica Ramirez-Andreotta, Assistant Professor of Health Sciences

In 2008, 36 million households participated in food gardening, with an average contact time of 5 hours per week, and 1 million participated in community gardening (National Gardening Association, 2009). Unfortunately, soils have been the repository of society's wastes, can be a sink for pollutants and metals (e.g. lead and arsenic), and may pose a threat to public health. In this talk, I discuss soil quality, the uptake of trace elements by commonly grown vegetables in urban community and rural home gardens, and how these values compare to store bought produce. I will conclude with examples describing community engagement, methods to promote public participation in environmental research projects, and recommended best practices for gardening.

This research cluster and series are supported by the Northeastern Humanities Center Collaborative Research Cluster Program.