Hold onto those eggs in your basket because a brand new investigation has found they might just be filled to the brim with oh-so-delicious lead. No, I’m not yolking.
According to some brand-spanking new research, eggs from hens that are kept in Aussie backyards contain 40 times the lead levels of hens kept elsewhere.
Per the ABC, half the eggs from the Sydney testing batch were found to have had dangerous lead levels inside their innocent-looking shells.
Let us all keep in mind that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the recommended amount of lead you should be nibbling on each day is a hard zero. Any and all exposure to the stuff is considered a big no-no. A real heartbreak for those of us who love to sprinkle a bit of it on our Macca’s sundaes.
Unfortunately, if you source your eggs from someone with backyard hens, you might just be serving you and your housemates lead omelettes for brekkie each morning.
But why are all of these hens clucking around with chussies full of lead? According to the researchers (via the ABC), it has something to do with the soil in our backyards.
The researchers reported that homes close to city centres have soil simply writhing with lead. Hens start pecking at the soil and scratching their skins with dirty claws and BAM, suddenly there’s lead swimming in their blood.
Obviously, you wouldn’t want to eat an egg from a chicken full of lead. So, if you know a chicken or two who are enjoying their city view from the backyard, maybe don’t feast on their fragile offerings.
ABC even went out of its way to create maps of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane that identify where you should keep your chickens and where you should absolutely not.
The map also doubles as a handy guide to show you where you can and cannot start a little backyard farm. No lead-filled carrots for me, thanks!
Stay safe out there folks and make sure if you’re buying your eggs, you know where they’re coming from.
Just remember that you shouldn’t be able to draw dark images on paper with your egg.
