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Kim BF, Lupolt SN, Santo RE, Bachman G, Zhu X, Yang T, Fukagawa NK, Richardson ML, Green C, Phillips KM, Nachman KE. Nutrients and non-essential metals in darkibor kale grown at urban and rural farms: A pilot study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0296840. [PMID: 38625852 PMCID: PMC11020932 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0296840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Kale is a nutrient-dense leafy vegetable associated with wide-ranging health benefits. It is tolerant of drought and temperature fluctuations, and could thus serve an increasingly important role in providing a safe and nutritious food supply during the climate crisis, while kale's ease of cultivation and ability to be grown in a wide range of soils make it a good fit for urban agriculture. In this pilot study we explored potential differences between kale grown at urban versus rural farms. We planted kale seedlings (Darkibor variety) at three urban and four rural farms in and around Baltimore City, Maryland, instructed farmers to cultivate them using their usual growing practices, harvested the kale from fields and points of distribution, and analyzed it for concentrations of carotenoids, vitamins C and K1, ten nutritional elements, and eight non-essential metals. Although sample sizes for some analyses were in some cases too small to produce statistically significant results, we identified potentially meaningful differences in concentrations of several components between urban and rural kale samples. Compared to urban samples, mean concentrations of carotenoids and vitamins were 22-38% higher in rural field samples. By contrast, mean concentrations for eight nutritional elements were higher in urban field samples by as much as 413% for iron. Compared to rural field samples, mean concentrations of nine non-essential metals were higher in urban samples, although lead and cadmium concentrations for all samples were below public health guidelines. Some urban-rural differences were more pronounced than those identified in prior research. For six elements, variance within urban and rural farms was greater than variance between urban and rural farms, suggesting urbanicity may not be the primary driver of some observed differences. For some nutrients, mean concentrations were higher than upper ranges reported in prior estimates, suggesting kale may have the potential to be more nutrient-dense than previously estimated. The nutritive and metals composition of this important crop, and the factors that influence it, merit continued investigation given its growing popularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brent F. Kim
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sara N. Lupolt
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Raychel E. Santo
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Grace Bachman
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Xudong Zhu
- US Department of Agriculture, Food Quality Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tianbao Yang
- US Department of Agriculture, Food Quality Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Naomi K. Fukagawa
- US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Matthew L. Richardson
- Center for Urban Research, Engagement and Scholarship, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Carrie Green
- US Department of Agriculture, Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Katherine M. Phillips
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Keeve E. Nachman
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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Brueck CL, Xin X, Lupolt SN, Kim BF, Santo RE, Lyu Q, Williams AJ, Nachman KE, Prasse C. (Non)targeted Chemical Analysis and Risk Assessment of Organic Contaminants in Darkibor Kale Grown at Rural and Urban Farms. Environ Sci Technol 2024; 58:3690-3701. [PMID: 38350027 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the presence and human hazards associated with pesticides and other anthropogenic chemicals identified in kale grown in urban and rural environments. Pesticides and related compounds (i.e., surfactants and metabolites) in kale samples were evaluated using a nontargeted data acquisition for targeted analysis method which utilized a pesticide mixture containing >1,000 compounds for suspect screening and quantification. We modeled population-level exposures and assessed noncancer hazards to DEET, piperonyl butoxide, prometon, secbumeton, terbumeton, and spinosyn A using nationally representative estimates of kale consumption across life stages in the US. Our findings indicate even sensitive populations (e.g., pregnant women and children) are not likely to experience hazards from these select compounds were they to consume kale from this study. However, a strictly nontargeted chemical analytical approach identified a total of 1,822 features across all samples, and principal component analysis revealed that the kale chemical composition may have been impacted by agricultural growing practices and environmental factors. Confidence level 2 compounds that were ≥5 times more abundant in the urban samples than in rural samples (p < 0.05) included chemicals categorized as "flavoring and nutrients" and "surfactants" in the EPA's Chemicals and Products Database. Using the US-EPA's Cheminformatics Hazard Module, we identified that many of the nontarget compounds have predicted toxicity scores of "very high" for several end points related to human health. These aspects would have been overlooked using traditional targeted analysis methods, although more information is needed to ascertain whether the compounds identified through nontargeted analysis are of environmental or human health concern. As such, our approach enabled the identification of potentially hazardous compounds that, based on their hazard assessment score, merit follow-up investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher L Brueck
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Xiaoyue Xin
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Sara N Lupolt
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, United States
| | - Brent F Kim
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, United States
| | - Raychel E Santo
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, United States
| | - Qinfan Lyu
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Antony J Williams
- Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, North Carolina 27711, United States
| | - Keeve E Nachman
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, United States
| | - Carsten Prasse
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
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Lupolt SN, Santo RE, Kim BF, Burke TA, Nachman KE. Urban Soil Safety Policies: The Next Frontier for Mitigating Lead Exposures and Promoting Sustainable Food Production. Geohealth 2022; 6:e2022GH000615. [PMID: 36176572 PMCID: PMC9473349 DOI: 10.1029/2022gh000615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Urban soils bear the persistent legacy of leaded gasoline and past industrial practices. Soil safety policies (SSPs) are an important public health tool with the potential to inform, identify, and mitigate potential health risks faced by urban growers, but little is known about how these policies may protect growers from exposures to lead and other soil contaminants. We reviewed and evaluated 43 urban agriculture (UA) policies in 40 US cities pertaining to soil safety. About half of these cities had a least one SSP that offered recommendations or provided services for soil testing. Eight cities had at least one SSP containing a requirement pertaining to any topic (e.g., soil testing, a specific best practice for growing). We found notable inconsistencies across SSPs for "acceptable" levels of lead in soils and the activities and behaviors recommended at each level. We specify research needed to inform revisions to US Environmental Protection Agency guidance for lead in soils specific to UA. We conclude with a series of recommendations to guide the development or revision of SSPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara N. Lupolt
- Department of Environmental Health and EngineeringJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Center for a Livable FutureJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy InstituteJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Raychel E. Santo
- Department of Environmental Health and EngineeringJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Center for a Livable FutureJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Brent F. Kim
- Department of Environmental Health and EngineeringJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Center for a Livable FutureJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Thomas A. Burke
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy InstituteJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Department of Health Policy and ManagementJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
| | - Keeve E. Nachman
- Department of Environmental Health and EngineeringJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Center for a Livable FutureJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy InstituteJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
- Department of Health Policy and ManagementJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMDUSA
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Lupolt SN, Santo RE, Kim BF, Green C, Codling E, Rule AM, Chen R, Scheckel KG, Strauss M, Cocke A, Little NG, Rupp VC, Viqueira R, Illuminati J, Epp Schmidt A, Nachman KE. The Safe Urban Harvests Study: A Community-Driven Cross-Sectional Assessment of Metals in Soil, Irrigation Water, and Produce from Urban Farms and Gardens in Baltimore, Maryland. Environ Health Perspect 2021; 129:117004. [PMID: 34766834 PMCID: PMC8589016 DOI: 10.1289/ehp9431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emerging evidence suggests social, health, environmental, and economic benefits of urban agriculture (UA). However, limited work has characterized the risks from metal contaminant exposures faced by urban growers and consumers of urban-grown produce. OBJECTIVES We aimed to answer community-driven questions about the safety of UA and the consumption of urban-grown produce by measuring concentrations of nine metals in the soil, irrigation water, and urban-grown produce across urban farms and gardens in Baltimore, Maryland. METHODS We measured concentrations of 6 nonessential [arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni)] and three essential [copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn)] metals in soil, irrigation water, and 13 types of urban-grown produce collected from 104 UA sites. We compared measured concentrations to existing public health guidelines and analyzed relationships between urban soil and produce concentrations. In the absence of guidelines for metals in produce, we compared metals concentrations in urban-grown produce with those in produce purchased from farmers markets and grocery stores (both conventionally grown and U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic). RESULTS Mean concentrations of all measured metals in irrigation water were below public health guidelines. Mean concentrations of nonessential metals in growing area soils were below public health guidelines for Ba, Cd, Pb, and Ni and at or below background for As and Cr. Though we observed a few statistically significant differences in concentrations between urban and nonurban produce items for some combinations, no consistent or discernable patterns emerged. DISCUSSION Screening soils for heavy metals is a critical best practice for urban growers. Given limitations in existing public health guidelines for metals in soil, irrigation water, and produce, additional exposure assessment is necessary to quantify potential human health risks associated with exposure to nonessential metals when engaging in UA and consuming urban-grown produce. Conversely, the potential health benefits of consuming essential metals in urban-grown produce also merit further research. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9431.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara N. Lupolt
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Raychel E. Santo
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Brent F. Kim
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Carrie Green
- Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
| | - Eton Codling
- Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
| | - Ana M. Rule
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Kirk G. Scheckel
- Land and Materials Management Division, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Abby Cocke
- Baltimore Office of Sustainability, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Neith G. Little
- Baltimore City Office, University of Maryland Extension, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Rachel Viqueira
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jotham Illuminati
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Audrey Epp Schmidt
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Keeve E. Nachman
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Santo RE, Kim BF, Goldman SE, Dutkiewicz J, Biehl EMB, Bloem MW, Neff RA, Nachman KE. Considering Plant-Based Meat Substitutes and Cell-Based Meats: A Public Health and Food Systems Perspective. Front Sustain Food Syst 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.00134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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Kim BF, Nachman KE, Neff RA, Spiker ML, Santo RE. Concerns re: interpretation and translation of findings in Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10669-016-9587-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Honikel KO, Santo RE. A model for the in vitro inhibition of the DNa polymerase reaction with the base specific antibiotics chromomycin-A 3' actinomycin-C 3 and daunomycin. Biochim Biophys Acta 1972; 269:354-63. [PMID: 4114260 DOI: 10.1016/0005-2787(72)90122-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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