Organic kale is toxic, report says

markqz 8/13/2023, 2:59 pm

I came across this and similar articles. Apparently kale, and especially organic kale, can contain concerning levels of PFAS chemicals. It's unclear where the PFAS is coming from. It could be the water supply, or it could be the sludge sometimes used as fertilizer.

The point is not to avoid kale, which still has less PFAS than many convenience foods packed in grease-proof (PFAS-coated) packaging, but to raise awareness of the casual use of chemicals that are used once but last forever.

For the backyard gardener, this adds to our suspicions regarding those bio-solid composts offered in the big chain hardware stores.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/kale-samples-pfas-7563811

OhioGardener 8/13/2023, 3:57 pm

This has been a concern of mine due to the fact that farmers all around us are spreading sewage sludge (biosolids) on their fields before planting corn or wheat. The chemicals and heavy minerals in that sludge has to be seeping into the groundwater, and everyone in this rural area uses a deep well for their water.

The middle of the article sums up the whole problem:

"Farmers sometimes use biosolids—the sludge leftover when wastewater is treated—to fertilize their crops. These biosolids can be contaminated with high levels of PFAS, which make their way into plants as they grow.

It’s not clear whether the kale samples tested were grown in sludge or watered with contaminated water. It’s also possible that the kale picked up PFAS from the plastic packaging they were sold in, according to Tash Stoiber, PhD, a senior scientist specializing in PFAS at the Environmental Working Group who was not involved with the study.

Verkerk said that the group did not test the packaging for PFAS, but factors like polluted irrigation must be at play because the unpackaged kale was also tainted."

**donnainzone5** 8/13/2023, 6:06 pm

It's better to grow one's own kale, as well as most other crops.

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Organic kale is toxic, report says

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