Are there any food safety issues connected with urban agriculture?

Question

In older cities, some of the sewer lines are very old and not where one expects them to be. Could this comprimise the safety of fruits and vegetables grown nearby?

Answer 1

As the first answerer noted there are potential problems, however I doubt the sewer problem that he noted --- I would not worry too much about lead which is in the soil from the leaded gasoline used from 1923-1976.  But lead is fairly inert and plants do not collect it much.  

IMO the problem of urban agriculture is the urban farmer.  The urban farmer is apt to be a dandelion killer extraordinaire who over uses both pesticides and herbicides.  [Actually dandelions are quite tasty and are very useful plants, Greek Hora, dandelion wine, fake coffee, salad greens and they are free :-) ]   Also people do not wash their hands often.  Also urban dogs --- dog droppings are a source of worms for humans ---

But with care you should be alright.   In an urban area you should encourage building owners to plant flowers on their roofs to absorb sunlight this would save the building owners HVAC costs.

Answer 2

Lead and heavy metals can be a problem in urban environs. These metals were used for years and have leached into the soil. The other problem is E. coli. The dirtiest water on the planet is, believe it or not, street and parking lot runoff. It ranks right up there with raw sewage as it has a lot of assorted fecal matter as well as petroleum, detergents, and all kinds of chemicals. If your lot collects a lot of runoff it should be diverted, treated, or the area raised to minimize contamination. Pigeon manure, though good, could cause diseases of the eye, and any splash contamination of any city life manure could be a real problem, especially for immune system illnesses.

Answer 3

The location of sewer lines are not going to be any problem for you unless raw sewage is coming to the surface of the ground. Your fruits and vegetables will be safe to eat.