Amazing story! Thanks for sharing Rahab. Here's what I know about heavy metals in food. I am sure there is more to the story, but this will help you make some decisions as to what you eat.
Sometime around 1980 I was sitting next to the University of California farm advisor for our county at a Rotary meeting having lunch. He did not know I was an organic gardener. He told me that organic farmers using sewer sludge for fertilizer were killing people who ate their root crops. He then explained that there were heavy metals in sewer sludge and that the root crops picked up the heavy metals from the soils fertilized with sewer sludge. Then those who ate the those root crops with the heavy metals were going to destroy their livers. In the last 40 years I have kept this in mind.
I quit buying organic food when I realized manure from sick animals was spreading disease. Organics today are not grown in sewer sludge, but most is grown in animal manure, blood meal, and bone meal which makes it dangerous. But, sewer sludge appears to being used widely on American farms. I believe this is one reason why so many are having problems with wheat. Apparently many wheat farmers in a particular region were using New York sewer sludge on their large wheat farms. It was only in the last four or five years that I realized who widespread the use of sewer sludge is in the US. There are fertilizer products that are made from sewer sludge that you would not know that it is made from sewer sludge.
Not eating food grown in China is a very wise decision. But, I no longer believe that food being grown here is much safer than China grown food. Between sewer sludge and glyphosate being sprayed on many crops just prior to harvest, I believe we are going to have to rely to a great extent on our own grown food. We were told that it would be good if we moved to the county on a few acres where we could become food sufficient. How many have heeded that counsel? There is still time to walk in the light of God's love and grace.
One last thought about crops and the soil in which they are grown. We know now that we have animals that carry spongiform diseases in America. Cows (mad cow disease, sheep and goats (Scrapie), and deer and elk (Chronic Wasting Disease). It has been shown that the manure from these animals infects the soil for at least 13 years in the case of sheep. Not sure how long with the other animals, but I am sure we will find a similar situation. It only takes a small amount of the prions to infect and there is no cure. And we know about the children that died from eating Jack in the Box hamburgers infected with E. Coli. How about the child that was infected from drinking fresh made apple juice from apples picked up from the ground where cattle had been grazing? It is past time to consider where our food comes from.
Hope this helps Sister rahab.