[Pil-pc-oceania] clean olive oil grown in contaminated soil

[jedd]

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007, Deb Guildner wrote:
> As I have always understood it, heavy metals do not make their way into the
> fruits of plants, but accumulate in the roots and leaves, as roots can not
> uptake from soils discriminately.  Therefore the leaves and roots of these
> olive trees would not be suitable for use.

 Interesting stuff.  My sister recently discovered (8 years after
 moving into a small hectarage in the highlands of Victoria, and
 coincidentally 8 years after I encouraged her to get her bore water
 tested for a modest $150 or so) that her bore water has quite
 a large amount of arsenic in it.  They've tested the soil in their
 garden and found minimal (read 'normal') levels of arsenic.  So
 they're feeling happier about the fruit & veg they've produced
 and eaten on the place in that time.

 Anyhoo, is this a fairly common arrangement in plants?

> Greens grown in contaminated soil (varying degrees in most urban
> environments due to long legacy of Dr Hoffman's lead additive in petrol)
> are not recommended, but tomatoes capsicums peas fruits etc are fine.

 I think that was Thomas Midgley.  Arguably (and an easy one to win)
 the most damaging organism this planet's atmosphere has ever seen.

 The introduction of lead into petrol to stop knocking, and the
 invention of CFC's (initially for refrigeration, as a replacement
 for what were thought, at the time, to be far worse chemicals).

 Jedd.