Prevent lead poisoning: Get your soil tested
Nathan Brandt, MS
Horticulturists like to reconnect people with nature. Sadly, urban dwellers often are more at home surrounded by concrete and sheetrock than sod and trees. The more unfamiliar urbanites are with what’s outside, the more they tend to fear it. For good reason, nature enthusiasts focus discussion on benefits, and not risks, of spending time outdoors.
A few natural hazards are worth avoiding, like poison ivy, ticks, and sunburns. These risks are easily identified and avoided. A more subtle outdoor hazard is lead in our soil. (Promise you will use this information about lead to improve--not reduce--time you spend in your back yard!)
Lead is a heavy metal commonly used in paint and gasoline in the 20th century. Unfortunately, it was not understood until relatively recently that lead has a damaging effect on most of our internal organs and systems. Consequently, soils were exposed to lead through auto emissions and building demolition for many years. Soil lead levels tend to be higher in urban areas.
Children are very sensitive to lead and are usually exposed to it in the home where lead paint is present. They are also exposed when playing in, or consuming produce from, lead-contaminated soils. If you live in or near urban St. Louis, it’s possible your soil contains higher than normal lead levels. If you are concerned about your children being exposed to lead outdoors, you should have your soil tested.
University of Missouri Extension provides soil lead testing. The cost is usually $20 per sample plus a one-time $50 setup fee. While it may seem expensive, this test is a total lead digest, which means results are very reliable. Some labs provide lead testing for as little as $10, but these are extractable values tests and aren’t reliable for making decisions about safety of home garden soils.
Some lead is present in all soils. This chart explains different lead levels and the appropriate response to each.
Soil test lead in parts per
Less than 50
Little or no lead contamination in soil.
50 to 400 ppm
Some lead present from human activities. Grow any
vegetable crops. Choose gardening practices that limit dust or soil consumption by children.
400 to 1200 ppm
Do not grow leafy vegetables or root crops. (These crops carry the highest risk of lead contamination.) Choose
gardening practices that limit dust or soil
consumption by children.
Greater than 1,200 ppm
Not recommended for vegetable gardening. Mulch and plant perennial shrubs, ground cover, or grass. Use clean soil in raised beds or containers for vegetable gardening.
Source: Angima, S.D., & Sullivan, D.M. (March 2008). Evaluating and reducing lead hazard in gardens and landscapes. Oregon State University Extension publication
EC 1616-E. http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1616-e.pdf
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Special offer—Save 50% on lead soil testing! Through Oct. 31, 2011: Get lead soil testing done through St. Louis County Extension for $35 (half off usual $70 fee). For details, contact the author, visit the Web at extension.missouri.edu/stlouis, or contact your local MU Extension county office.
the time go?
Maudie Kelly, MS
Human Development Specialist
Have you heard the saying,
“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get”? I thought about this
recently when I spoke to Head Start parents about time management.
Sometimes it’s hard to decide if we truly don’t have enough time or
have developed bad habits and need to make changes in how we use our
We know that everyone
has 24 hours every day. We can’t change how that time goes by, but
we can work on ways to use the time we have most effectively.
to prioritize. Decide what is really
important in your life. So many things compete for our time and
attention, but only
you can decide how you really want or need
to invest your time. Determine daily what needs to be done and in
what order. Also allow for the unexpected. Talking to your teenage
daughter after a big fight with her best friend may be more
important than sweeping the floor.
yourself as a priority. Take some time for
yourself to be able to direct care and attention to others. It’s not
selfish to insist on time to relax and pursue some of your own
interests. Your attitude will be more positive because you have
invested time in yourself.
to say “No.” It’s not saying the word that
is hard, but the feeling of guilt we sometimes have afterward. Try
to focus on important things that
will get done because you declined
something that was not a priority.
· Delegate. Assign responsibility of a task (not just the work) to someone else. A word of caution here: Don’t be tempted to take over if he/she is not doing it the way you think it should be done. “Done” may need to be “good enough.”
not to procrastinate. When you know you’re
putting a task off, make an appointment with yourself to take the
first step toward completing that task.
Determine what the first step will be, then set a specific time to begin.
systems to keeps things running smoothly at home.
Consider a master family calendar with responsibilities for each
family member that fits with their time commitments.
· Downsize your home and office. Sell/give away/toss things you don’t need.
· Celebrate! Reward yourself when a major task is completed. It doesn’t need to be expensive—maybe a bubble bath or two chapters in a new book. Just acknowledge your accomplishments!
· Pick out your clothes and pack your lunch the night before.
· Evaluate your commitments. This could be for work, school and community activities, hobbies, church, etc. Consider making changes if possible.
I like a quote by Michael
bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Remember
Resources: MU publications
GH 6651, Challenges and Choices: Stress Management—The Challenge of Balance, and GH 6653, Challenges and Choices: Time Effectiveness—Prioritizing Your Time. Available at extension.missouri.edu.
improve financial health
Michael Ravenscraft, MS, CPA
Financial Education Specialist
This summer, many of us may be
enjoying a change of pace to our regular routine. Summer often gives us a chance to renew ourselves,
giving us a fresh outlook when fall arrives. Often we are more conscious of our physical health in the summer.
In much the same way, we can use summertime to focus more on our financial health to determine where our family money is going and why. As we emerge from one of the
deepest recessions in recent history, many of us have a greater appreciation for the value of a dollar. We may realize we can do without some things we thought we needed as we better distinguish between our needs and wants.
Here are some steps to making powerful positive change in our financial lives by looking at what we’re doing right—and what we can improve.
1. Gather information, and then write it down! When people make a decision to improve their physical health, one of the first things they do is to get on the scale. Why? Because they need to know what they currently weigh. Regarding our finances, we also need to know where we stand in our financial lives.
2. Determine what you own. Make a list of assets, like bank accounts and investments, along with other items you own.
3. Write down what you owe and to whom. This is the starting point, where you are today.
4. Keep track of what you make, what you spend, and where you spend it. More detail is better. This is your current budget. We all have one; it’s just informal. An accurate record of what we’re doing is a very powerful tool, so keep track!
Now you’re armed with the information to make decisions. Your
current budget is like your calorie count. Take a hard look and
decide if everything in your spending habits belongs in your
Are you taking on extra debt each month? Is enough going into savings? Do you have a rainy day fund? Do you have a current plan for retirement? From where will the money come?
It’s much easier to make these long-term decisions when you’re armed with information about what your resources are and how you’re using them. These spending decisions, even if it’s just a few dollars a day, can have an enormous impact on your long-term wealth and financial security.
Nobody thinks counting calories is fun or exciting. Yet after weeks and months of keeping track, you love the way you look and feel!
The same concept applies to your money. At first it’s tough to give up those extras in your budget, but then you see your savings going up, and it feels pretty good! So start keeping track, building wealth, and in the long run, you’ll love the way you feel!
Latest dietary guidelines promote health
Damaris Karanja, MA
Nutrition & Health Education Specialist
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released earlier this year aim to promote health and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity. The Dietary Guidelines are intended for people 2 years and older, including those at increased risk of chronic disease. Here’s a summary of changes to make:
Enjoy your food, but
* Avoid oversized portions.
Foods to increase
Make half your plate
fruits and vegetables.
* Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
Foods to reduce
Compare sodium in
foods like soup, bread and frozen meals.
* Choose the foods with lower numbers.
* Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
|Editor: Roxanne T. Miller