The health of keen gardeners could be at risk after new research warned soil polluted by pesticides and heavy metals could cause heart disease. Researchers in Germany claim pollutants may cause inflammation and disrupt our body clocks.
The study suggests soil pollution could be raising oxidative stress, which leads to more “bad” free radicals, causing chain reactions in the body that damages other cells and fewer “good” antioxidants, which help stop that process.
It recommends people wear masks outside to avoid damaging their heart when soil is blown into the air by wind. The problem is allegedly more acute in poorer and middle-income countries but is an issue everywhere because of integrated global supply chains.
