A scientific study showed that chard, tomatoes, potatoes etc. coming from city gardens around Berlin have higher concentrations of poisonous lead than compared with vegetables from the supermarket.
Dr. Ina Säumel, an ecologist from the Technical University, and her team researched vegetables from hobby gardens from different districts in Berlin. "The results are concerning. The lead levels were extremely high, especially in chard. Ten times higher than the EU-limit." explains Säumel.
"Lead can affect the central nervous system and damage the pulmonary system. It can cause anaemia and impair renal function," says general practitioner Dr. Frank Fechteler. Lead will make you sick, scientists agree. It doesn't take a very high dose to make someone sick. Dr. Suzan Fiack from the Institute for Risk Assessment: "In 2002, the WHO set the levels for the tolerable intake of lead. This is 25 micrograms per kilo body weight per week. Recent studies indicate that there is no tolerable fixed level. This is why it is better for people in Berlin to not grow the vegetables which pose a higher risk.