Uprooting urban garden contamination

Abstract

Contamination in urban community gardens is widespread. Yet few studies have used transdisciplinary methods to investigate the physical sources of contamination in gardens as well as the sociopolitical factors that result in persistent contamination. Furthermore, contaminant concentrations in community gardens are not regulated, and gardeners are often unaware of the harms that soils and vegetables in their gardens might pose to human health and the broader ecosystem. In this study we aimed to document widespread contamination issues in soil, compost mixtures, and vegetables in a major metropolitan area, and situate the issue of contamination in the broader context of the lack of testing and regulation within community gardens in the U.S. We used a mixed methods approach (e.g., soil and vegetable sampling, interviews and surveys, laboratory analysis, and community science) to determine the extent of, and sociopolitical causes of, contamination in urban community gardens in the Seattle metropolitan region, but also in the U.S. We found that soils and vegetables in all of the community gardens of this study exceeded health standards for a variety of contaminants. We also documented how physical practices and perceptions influenced contaminant concentrations in community gardens. The analysis pointed to larger systemic issues related to environmental injustices, and a need for intervention on local and regulatory levels that centers community feedback. Finally, legacies of environmental racism have resulted in limited choices for underserved gardeners who seek access to healthy food, and better strategies for mitigating contamination that empower communities is needed.