NOTE: Please see followup discussion and correction here. My estimation of lead per egg was too high by a factor of 10.
So after a few days of obsessing about lead, talking about lead, and researching lead, I've come to a few conclusions.
1. We're not eating our eggs (at least, the yolks) until this thing gets cleared up. The 'total maximum daily load' that an adult should have for lead is 75 micrograms, and I figured out that one egg is about 54 micrograms. For kids under 7, the limit is *6* micrograms (and for pregnant women it's 25). So while I suppose Jeff and I could eat an occasional egg in desperation, Melina won't be getting any. Yolks.
2. I talked to my neighbor about having the lead paint safely removed from the side of her garage, and she seemed open to working on it together, so I'm going to research paint removers and follow up on that. Meanwhile the chickens are fenced off from that area. Once the lead paint is removed I'm going to remove at least 6" of topsoil in that area and replace it with compost. The soil could use some amending anyway!
3. I'm going to do soil tests on about 6 spots in our backyard to get an idea of where the lead is. I have my suspicions. Hopefully, it will be concentrated around the house, which it normally is. I'll fence those areas off.
4. I'm taking Melina to a naturopath (who is also a friend) to talk about ways to reduce lead in the body through diet and supplements. Apparently there are several effective methods out there.
5. I may still cook with egg whites from the girls, since egg whites don't take up lead at all. I will look into composting the eggs. Soil naturally has 50-100 ppm anyway, so adding an egg with 2 ppm isn't going to make a big difference. Also, someone told me you can make paint out of egg yolks. Maybe I'll take up a new hobby. It would be ironic if I had to stop eating the egg yolks because of lead paint and so I started turning the yolks into paint.
5. In about 3 months, I'll get Melina and the eggs tested again.
6. I'm going to stop obsessing now.
I'm heading out to Ithaca, NY for a few days to give a talk to seven undergraduates at Cornell (!). It will be good to have a complete change of scenery and focus on something besides heavy metals for a change.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
More lead results. Bad news.
I got our egg lead test results back today. Unfortunately, they were not good. They showed .2, .3, and .4 parts per million (see technical notes below).
I'm not really sure what to do at this point. These results are very depressing, considering that I have so enthusiastically fed Melina backyard eggs for the last 2 years. Her levels aren't overwhelmingly high (3) but they are still of concern, according to her doctor and the Portland Lead Line. It is upsetting that I thought I was doing something so healthy and it turns out that it was actually harmful - and it is also upsetting because I am very pro-urban chicken and I don't want to dump a big wet can of worms on the whole movement. So to speak.
I don't want to get rid of my girls, but at this point I don't have much appetite for their eggs and I am not planning to feed them to my daughter until I know they don't have lead in them. I can't even compost them because I don't want lead in my garden (which is in a raised bed with new soil). Lead is present in the shells as well, so I can't refeed the shells to my girls. So I guess the next step is to test my soil, figure out where the lead is (if possible) and either remediate it (replace the top foot of soil) or fence it off from the girls. All of this sounds really expensive and difficult (anyone have a small backhoe or a strong back that I can borrow?).
So does the average backyard chicken owner need to worry? From what I've read, if you live in a house built after 1978 or your chickens are well away from any source of lead paint and you do not live in a Superfund site, you're probably OK. If you're an adult, you're probably OK, though you shouldn't really be consuming lead either. If you have small children who you are feeding eggs to, you might want to get them tested. The place where I got mine tested (Wy'East) said that they had recently tested other backyard eggs that showed no lead at all.
Technical notes for people who are REALLY interested:
The lead level in my eggs was very similar to the eggs tested in the only academic study I'm aware of. Their highest egg yolk lead level was also .4 ppm (400 ppb), which lead them to conclude that "Eggs and chicken tissues containing significant concentrations of lead are a potential human health hazard, especially to young children. Repeated consumption of contaminated eggs from a family owned flock could provide a continuing dietary source of lead." As a control, they tested eggs of chickens that had not been exposed to lead paint, and their levels were much lower. Lead does not naturally occur in chicken eggs, so these levels *do* represent a problem.
I'm not really sure what to do at this point. These results are very depressing, considering that I have so enthusiastically fed Melina backyard eggs for the last 2 years. Her levels aren't overwhelmingly high (3) but they are still of concern, according to her doctor and the Portland Lead Line. It is upsetting that I thought I was doing something so healthy and it turns out that it was actually harmful - and it is also upsetting because I am very pro-urban chicken and I don't want to dump a big wet can of worms on the whole movement. So to speak.
I don't want to get rid of my girls, but at this point I don't have much appetite for their eggs and I am not planning to feed them to my daughter until I know they don't have lead in them. I can't even compost them because I don't want lead in my garden (which is in a raised bed with new soil). Lead is present in the shells as well, so I can't refeed the shells to my girls. So I guess the next step is to test my soil, figure out where the lead is (if possible) and either remediate it (replace the top foot of soil) or fence it off from the girls. All of this sounds really expensive and difficult (anyone have a small backhoe or a strong back that I can borrow?).
So does the average backyard chicken owner need to worry? From what I've read, if you live in a house built after 1978 or your chickens are well away from any source of lead paint and you do not live in a Superfund site, you're probably OK. If you're an adult, you're probably OK, though you shouldn't really be consuming lead either. If you have small children who you are feeding eggs to, you might want to get them tested. The place where I got mine tested (Wy'East) said that they had recently tested other backyard eggs that showed no lead at all.
Technical notes for people who are REALLY interested:
The lead level in my eggs was very similar to the eggs tested in the only academic study I'm aware of. Their highest egg yolk lead level was also .4 ppm (400 ppb), which lead them to conclude that "Eggs and chicken tissues containing significant concentrations of lead are a potential human health hazard, especially to young children. Repeated consumption of contaminated eggs from a family owned flock could provide a continuing dietary source of lead." As a control, they tested eggs of chickens that had not been exposed to lead paint, and their levels were much lower. Lead does not naturally occur in chicken eggs, so these levels *do* represent a problem.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Our lead results
So I just got back the results from our blood lead tests. They are good - my level was 1 (which is the lowest you can get) and Melina's was 3. Three is not particularly high (10 is the threshold for "high") but it does mean she's coming into contact with lead somewhere, which is not surprising given all the stuff she puts in her mouth and eats off the floor. The doctor recommended doing a followup test in 6 months or so to make sure her levels aren't going up.
I also found out my cholesterol was a bit high (because I had eating a big fat slice of cheese pizza a few hours before the test, and a hamburger the night before, no doubt). My cholesterol has always been low so I'm not too worried about it. Melina's levels of everything were good except that she was a bit on the low side for iron, so we will work on getting spinach & beef into her.
So this is a relief. I still plan to get our eggs checked to see if that's where Melina's lead is coming from, and just out of curiosity. I won't worry about eating them myself.
I also found out my cholesterol was a bit high (because I had eating a big fat slice of cheese pizza a few hours before the test, and a hamburger the night before, no doubt). My cholesterol has always been low so I'm not too worried about it. Melina's levels of everything were good except that she was a bit on the low side for iron, so we will work on getting spinach & beef into her.
So this is a relief. I still plan to get our eggs checked to see if that's where Melina's lead is coming from, and just out of curiosity. I won't worry about eating them myself.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Olallie's Birthday
Yesterday we had a small private party for Mr. O's tenth birthday. Jeff had some work stuff to do so it was just Melina, Olallie and I. Melina and I made a pavlova (no egg yolks!) and I gave Olallie some kitty junk food. We also gave him some kitty toys which he sniffed and then ignored. (I'm passing them along to Jess's cat). I think he had a good time. At least, he did while he was eating his cat food. Not sure if he enjoyed Melina and I chasing after him to force him to enjoy the festivities. The pavlova was great, too.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Unleaded chickens
...Or, "One more thing to worry about."
Recently it was brought to my attention that chickens pecking around in the backyard of older homes can be a lead hazard. In particular, they like eating paint chips. Since reading this, I've noticed that our neighbor's garage has peeling paint, which I tested yesterday - positive for lead. For the past few days I've been obsessively researching lead, lead poisoning, lead uptake, and lead removal. I've learned a few things.
There haven't been many studies of this issue. One study (easily Googled) found that chickens that had been eating paint chips had lead in their egg yolks ranging from 20 ppb (parts per billion) to 440 ppb. There was no lead in the whites, but lead did concentrate in the shells (which we don't eat, but which I have been re-feeding to my chickens). So, what does that mean?
The FDA sets an acceptable limit for lead in candy that is frequently eaten by children. (The limit is in place because lead is so prevalent in our world that setting the limit at zero would be prohibitive). Their limit is .10 ppm (parts per million). In contrast, the most highly leaded egg in the egg study had .44 ppm, exceeding the FDA limit.
Lead is particularly a problem for children - in part because they absorb more lead, they retain it longer, and they are developing. Apparently 99% of the amount of lead absorbed in an adult’s body will leave the body through waste within a couple of weeks, while only 32% of the lead absorbed by children’s bodies leaves as waste.
It is interesting to note that average blood lead levels for both children and adults have dropped more than 80 percent since the late 1970s. "This is believed to be the result of removal of lead from gasoline as well as from other sources such as household paint, food and drink cans and plumbing systems."
In addition, proper nutrition provides protection against lead, which may be one reason that lead poisoning is prevalent in low-income neighborhoods where there is a combination of poor nutrition and peeling lead-based paint.
So am I worried? Sure. One study notes that "Elevated blood lead levels are associated with lower IQs, impaired growth and neurological development, and behavior problems." However, lead often doesn't produce any symptoms at all. Melina certainly doesn't have any of these symptoms, but I'm planning to get her lead levels tested anyway - something I should have done when she was younger anyway.
In addition, I've fenced off the area around my neighbor's peeling garage wall, so our chickens won't be tempted to dine on paint chips. I've looked into having the paint removed (safely), but it would cost around $800 so I want to know if we actually have a problem first. I'm considering getting a few eggs tested for lead - it costs $30 an egg. I doubt they would come out absolutely "clean" so at that point I would need to decide at what point the nutrition from a fresh egg balances out trace amounts of lead.
I have to say, all of this is just such a bummer. I love my chickens and I was so happy thinking that I was doing something so very healthy for my family. At this point, I haven't eaten one of their eggs in a couple of days. I think it's probably fine for Jeff and I to eat them, but I am hesitant to give them to Melina (although I suppose an egg-white omelet would be OK, since the lead is all in the yolks). Or maybe I'll just start making lots of meringues and Pavlovas until I know whether our eggs are safe to eat.
Recently it was brought to my attention that chickens pecking around in the backyard of older homes can be a lead hazard. In particular, they like eating paint chips. Since reading this, I've noticed that our neighbor's garage has peeling paint, which I tested yesterday - positive for lead. For the past few days I've been obsessively researching lead, lead poisoning, lead uptake, and lead removal. I've learned a few things.
There haven't been many studies of this issue. One study (easily Googled) found that chickens that had been eating paint chips had lead in their egg yolks ranging from 20 ppb (parts per billion) to 440 ppb. There was no lead in the whites, but lead did concentrate in the shells (which we don't eat, but which I have been re-feeding to my chickens). So, what does that mean?
The FDA sets an acceptable limit for lead in candy that is frequently eaten by children. (The limit is in place because lead is so prevalent in our world that setting the limit at zero would be prohibitive). Their limit is .10 ppm (parts per million). In contrast, the most highly leaded egg in the egg study had .44 ppm, exceeding the FDA limit.
Lead is particularly a problem for children - in part because they absorb more lead, they retain it longer, and they are developing. Apparently 99% of the amount of lead absorbed in an adult’s body will leave the body through waste within a couple of weeks, while only 32% of the lead absorbed by children’s bodies leaves as waste.
It is interesting to note that average blood lead levels for both children and adults have dropped more than 80 percent since the late 1970s. "This is believed to be the result of removal of lead from gasoline as well as from other sources such as household paint, food and drink cans and plumbing systems."
In addition, proper nutrition provides protection against lead, which may be one reason that lead poisoning is prevalent in low-income neighborhoods where there is a combination of poor nutrition and peeling lead-based paint.
So am I worried? Sure. One study notes that "Elevated blood lead levels are associated with lower IQs, impaired growth and neurological development, and behavior problems." However, lead often doesn't produce any symptoms at all. Melina certainly doesn't have any of these symptoms, but I'm planning to get her lead levels tested anyway - something I should have done when she was younger anyway.
In addition, I've fenced off the area around my neighbor's peeling garage wall, so our chickens won't be tempted to dine on paint chips. I've looked into having the paint removed (safely), but it would cost around $800 so I want to know if we actually have a problem first. I'm considering getting a few eggs tested for lead - it costs $30 an egg. I doubt they would come out absolutely "clean" so at that point I would need to decide at what point the nutrition from a fresh egg balances out trace amounts of lead.
I have to say, all of this is just such a bummer. I love my chickens and I was so happy thinking that I was doing something so very healthy for my family. At this point, I haven't eaten one of their eggs in a couple of days. I think it's probably fine for Jeff and I to eat them, but I am hesitant to give them to Melina (although I suppose an egg-white omelet would be OK, since the lead is all in the yolks). Or maybe I'll just start making lots of meringues and Pavlovas until I know whether our eggs are safe to eat.
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