Backyard hens’ eggs contain 40 times more lead on average than shop eggs

More than 400,000 Australians keep backyard chickens and they will tell you that fresh eggs from your own hens is the best. Eggs are often different from those in the shops due to more than just freshness and flavor.

More than 40 times the lead levels of commercially produced eggs are contained in backyard hens' eggs. One in two hens had high levels of lead in their blood. About half of the eggs analyzed had lead in them.

Low levels of lead exposure can be harmful to human health. There is no safe level of lead exposure according to the World Health Organization.

How do you know if this is a problem in your eggs? Depending on the lead levels in your soil. The areas of high and low risk for hens and their eggs were mapped and presented here.

Our research shows how lead poisoning can affect food production in the city. People are exposed to lead through eating eggs from backyard hens in old homes near city centers.

What did the study find?

The hens scratch in the dirt and eat from the ground.

We found trace metal in backyard chickens and their eggs. Animal drinking water and chicken feed are possible sources of contaminated water.

The data confirmed what we had expected from the analysis of more than 25,000 garden samples. Lead is the most concerning pollutant.

Chicken blood and eggs were found to have high levels of lead in them. It is not a significant source of exposure when it comes to potentialcontamination from drinking water and commercial feed supplies.