Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
Environ Int. 2021 Oct;155:106582. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106582. Epub 2021 Apr 30.
We launched the VegeSafe program in 2013 to assist Australians concerned about exposure to contaminants in their soils and gardens. VegeSafe analyses garden soils provided by citizens for trace metals at our laboratory at little to no cost, with easy-to-follow guidance on any intervention required. The response was overwhelming-Australians submitted 17,256 soils from 3,609 homes, and in turn VegeSafe researchers now have unparalleled household-scale data, providing new insights into urban trace metal contamination. The results are sobering, with 35% of homes, particularly those that are older, painted and located in inner cities having soils above the Australian residential guideline (300 mg/kg) for the neurotoxic trace metal lead (Pb). Exposure pathway, blood Pb concentration and vegetable uptake modelling showed the communities in these locations were most at risk. VegeSafe is transformative: 94% of participants better understood contaminants, 83% felt safer in their home environment and 40% undertook remedial action based on their results. The two-way nature of this program enables education of citizens about environmental contaminants, advances public health, and delivers impactful science.
我们于 2013 年启动了 VegeSafe 计划，旨在帮助那些关注土壤和花园中污染物暴露的澳大利亚人。VegeSafe 以近乎免费的方式在我们的实验室分析市民提供的花园土壤中的痕量金属，并提供有关所需干预措施的简单易懂的指导。反响非常热烈——澳大利亚人从 3609 户家庭中提交了 17256 份土壤，反过来，VegeSafe 的研究人员现在拥有了无与伦比的家庭规模数据，为城市痕量金属污染提供了新的见解。结果令人警醒，35%的家庭，尤其是那些较旧的、有油漆的和位于市中心的家庭，其土壤中的神经毒性痕量金属铅（Pb）含量高于澳大利亚住宅指南（300mg/kg）。暴露途径、血铅浓度和蔬菜吸收模型表明，这些地方的社区面临的风险最大。VegeSafe 具有变革性：94%的参与者更好地了解了污染物，83%的人在家中感到更安全，40%的人根据他们的结果采取了补救措施。该计划的双向性质使公民能够接受环境污染物教育，促进公共健康，并提供有影响力的科学。
