Galvanized wire and tomato cages, etc, seem to contaminate the soil with high levels of lead in areas of the garden where they are used, according to this woman who lead tests a lot of things.
https://tamararubin.com/2018/04/chicken-wire-mesh-hardware-cloth-2201-ppm-lead-cadmium/
It even seems to have elevated lead blood levels for a little boy who loves to garden. They couldn’t find any other lead sources that could be causing it.
Lead in gardening products should be banned, and just generally in all products unless absolutely necessary and proven safe for a particular application. Or at least it should be prominently on the label — “galvanized steel with zinc, LEAD, and CADMIUM coating — not for use in gardens, soil, or anywhere humans or animals will touch.” Note: Cadmium is also an issue in these products.
