Michelle Obama serves children dead chickens and lead

The White House admitted yesterday that the plot - whose lettuce, herbs and other produce have been consumed by the first family, visiting dignitaries, local school children and a women's homeless shelter - had tested positive for elevated levels of lead.

Sam Kass, who followed the Obamas from Chicago as their personal chef/hit-man said the underlying White House soil had been "amended" with crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay, green sand compost and lime powder.

Can the crab meal from Chesapeake Bay be the source of the lead?

A spokeswoman for the White House said the soil in the garden had lead concentrations of 93 parts per million of lead. Health experts say it is safe to raise leafy vegetables in soil with concentrations of 10-50 parts per million. However, it is advised for young children to be tested for exposure to lead if they play in areas where lead concentrations exceed 100 parts per million.

Children are especially vulnerable to exposure to lead, which can cause neurological and kidney damage, and stunt their growth.

School children were invited back to tend the plot and just two weeks ago to bring in the first harvest: 73 lbs of lettuce, 12 lbs of snap peas and one cucumber. Obama and the children then trooped into the White House kitchen to wash lettuce, shell peas and cook chicken corpse parts for lunch, which they ate outside on red and white checked tablecloths.

The White House would not say whether the Obamas or the children who had helped tend the garden or the children who ate the leaded veggies would be tested for lead exposure.