Eggs laid by chickens in New York City public gardens have higher than normal levels of lead, preliminary research has found. Researchers from the New York State Health Department鈥檚 Bureau of Toxic Substance Assessment examined 58 eggs from chickens in community gardens in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and discovered , reaching as high as 100 parts per billion.聽They also tested store-bought eggs, none of which contained any detectable amounts of lead. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have any specific guidelines concerning safe levels of lead in eggs, and the researchers have yet to reach any conclusions. 鈥淲e generally support chicken raising,鈥 said the study鈥檚 leader, Henry M. Splietoff. 鈥淗owever, we also support reducing lead exposure.鈥 Splietoff expects to publish the results in a more conclusive study later this year, once he has collected further data on the chickens’ soil and feed.
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