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https://theconversation.com/backyard-hens-eggs-contain-40-times-more-lead-on-average-than-shop-eggs-research-finds-187442>
"There’s nothing like the fresh eggs from your own hens, the more than 400,000
Australians who keep backyard chooks will tell you. Unfortunately, it’s often
not just freshness and flavour that set their eggs apart from those in the
shops.
Our newly published research* found backyard hens’ eggs contain, on average,
more than 40 times the lead levels of commercially produced eggs. Almost one in
two hens in our Sydney study had significant lead levels in their blood.
Similarly, about half the eggs analysed contained lead at levels that may pose
a health concern for consumers.
Even low levels of lead exposure are considered harmful to human health,
including among other effects cardiovascular disease and decreased IQ and
kidney function. Indeed, the World Health Organization has stated there is no
safe level of lead exposure.
So how do you know whether this is a likely problem in the eggs you’re getting
from backyard hens? It depends on lead levels in your soil, which vary across
our cities. We mapped the areas of high and low risk for hens and their eggs in
our biggest cities – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – and present these maps
here.
Our research details lead poisoning of backyard chickens and explains what this
means for urban gardening and food production. In older homes close to city
centres, contaminated soils can greatly increase people’s exposure to lead
through eating eggs from backyard hens."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
