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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Old Tires was Application Rates for Poor Soil

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  • From: Pat Meadows <pat AT meadows.pair.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Old Tires was Application Rates for Poor Soil
  • Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2005 08:45:42 -0500


Hi,

I have studies too, but no time to bring them here. (I'm
sorry.)

And I really have no time for further discussion of it (this
is a particularly hectic time for me). But I do wish to
make one point, and then I'll drop out of the discussion.


-------------
QUOTE from a study:

> Cadmium is a contaminant of many manufactured products containing
>zinc. Any zinc plating or galvanizing operations and galvanized metal
>containers sometimes used in horticulture and gardening operations
>are potential sources of cadmium. Zinc is also used in the
>vulcanization process in tire manufacturing. As tires wear, they give
>off minute, dust-like rubber particles containing cadmium that easily
>disperse and accumulate in soils and on plants.

----------------

I think you are misinterpreting this.

This is what I think they meant:

-------
Tires wear as they are used in vehicles: as they drive down
the road. Then the dust settles on nearby gardens, lawns,
etc.
---------

This is certainly true: that the dust does this. When it
has snowed here, the plows plow up a pristine white wall of
snow lining the roads, which is solid black within a day or
two in town (where there is some traffic). Some of that is
probably from exhausts, and some probably from kicking up
dirt from the road, and some probably is tire dust.

I see no reason for a tire sitting stationary in a garden to
undergo further wear causing dust to be emitted. There's
just no reason why it would do this. It is not being
abraded, it is not under heavy pressure, it is not moving in
any way. It's just sitting there.

Hopefully, the tire-gardener has thoroughly scrubbed and
washed the tires before using them. We have.

In any event, as I mentioned before, if people are nervous
about it, they can line the tires with heavy plastic so that
the tire does not contact growing medium or plants.

Pat



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