I used to think dirt was just… dirt. If something sprouted out of the ground, it had to be healthy, right? But once I started digging (literally and figuratively), I learned that the soil under our feet isn’t as innocent as it looks.
What we’ve been calling “fertile farmland” is, in many places, a toxic memory bank—holding onto decades of chemicals, industrial waste, and heavy metals that don’t just vanish over time. And the hardest part? Most people have no idea it’s even happening.
The Dirty Secret Beneath Our Feet
Across the country, our farmland is showing traces of arsenic, lead, and cadmium—three of the worst offenders when it comes to human health. These metals don’t break down; they build up—in the soil, in the plants, and eventually, in us.
A U.S. Geological Survey report1 found that soils across the U.S. still hold measurable levels of arsenic and lead from old pesticides and industrial pollution. That stuff doesn’t wash away—it lingers. It’s like the land itself is still carrying the burden of our bad decisions.
And while we’re out here thinking fertilizer means “food for plants,” companies are quietly mixing industrial byproducts—things like mine tailings and waste sludge—into those fertilizers. It’s a clever (and profitable) way to turn hazardous waste into a “nutrient supplement.”
If that sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen this play before. I talked about it in Compost or Contaminant: The Sewage Sludge Lie Threatening Our Food. The same trick—different poison.
From Fertilizer to Food Chain
When I first read that phosphate fertilizers—the same ones used on most conventional farms—often contain cadmium and uranium, I honestly thought, “No way.” But there it is, right in the EPA’s own fertilizer guidelines2.
Those metals don’t stay in the soil—they climb right up the food chain. Crops like spinach, rice, and potatoes are especially good at soaking up toxins. Over time, even tiny amounts can add up in our bodies, causing fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, and in kids, long-term developmental issues.
It’s heartbreaking. We’ve turned food—the thing meant to nourish us—into a slow drip of contamination.
The “Organic” Illusion
And here’s a tough pill to swallow: organic doesn’t always mean clean.
Some organic farms are unknowingly buying compost or fertilizer laced with heavy metals or biosolids (that’s treated sewage sludge, by the way). The Minnesota Department of Health3 found that several fertilizer products made from industrial waste were testing high for arsenic, lead, and cadmium. It’s not that farmers want to contaminate their soil—they’re just not being told the truth.
This is why I always say: know your farmer, know your soil. Ask questions. Visit the farm if you can. The honest ones will be thrilled to show you their process.
And if you haven’t yet, take a peek at PFAS: The Forever Chemicals Invading Our Fields. It’s another example of invisible toxins slipping past the “safe” label.
What You Can Do (and Why It Matters)
We don’t have to wait for the government to “fix” this—they’re usually too busy approving the loopholes. But we can take back control of our food and health in simple, powerful ways:
- Grow something yourself. Even one pot of lettuce or herbs on a windowsill is a step toward sovereignty.
- Test your soil. Kits are inexpensive and can tell you right away if you’re dealing with metals like lead or arsenic.
- Buy from local regenerative farms. The smaller the farm, the more likely they care about soil health and transparency.
- Make your own compost. Food scraps and yard clippings beat mystery “organic amendments” any day.
The more we reconnect with our food, the more we break away from the system that keeps us sick.
A Hard Truth, But a Hopeful One
Whenever I visit a small farm that’s rebuilding its soil—layer by layer, season by season—I can feel the difference. There’s life in that ground again. Worms, microbes, humus—all working together like a symphony.
Nature doesn’t need rescuing; she just needs us to stop getting in her way.
The soil remembers everything—the toxins, yes, but also the healing. It holds the blueprint for regeneration if we choose to follow it.
Next week, we’ll talk about a new invader hiding in plain sight: microplastics in the harvest—and why even “organic” soil isn’t immune.
With love and truth,
–Donna 💚
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey. Arsenic in the Soil C Horizon – U.S. National Map. Accessed November 2025. https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2017/5118/sir20175118_element.php?el=33
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Agriculture – Nutrient Management and Fertilizer. Accessed November 2025. https://www.epa.gov/agriculture/agriculture-nutrient-management-and-fertilizer
- Minnesota Department of Health. Heavy Metals in Fertilizers. Accessed November 2025. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/risk/studies/metals.html
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Heavy Metal Soil Contamination from Past Mining Activity. Accessed November 2025. https://www.epa.gov/research-states/epa-research-partner-support-story-heavy-metal-soil-contamination-past-mining
