Vegetables’ health benefits may extend beyond their nutritious value, thanks to researchers studying their ability to detect and possibly remove harmful forever chemicals from soil.
The chemicals, or PFAS, are a class of thousands of substances that have been used in common products, including nonstick cookware, for decades. They linger in the environment indefinitely, which is why they are also called forever chemicals. The substances are in most Americans’ blood, even newborns, according to the Environmental Working Group and the government.
While experts are still studying the health implications, findings suggest an association with reproductive issues, immune system harm, and hormonal complications, the Environmental Protection Agency added.
It’s no surprise that PFAS are also in dirt, which can contribute to crop contamination. That’s where University of Virginia Professor Bryan Berger thinks the plants themselves can help to solve the problem, according to Grist.
“I think a lot of people now are aware of PFAS, or concerned about it, or want to know whether it’s present in their water, their food. The whole purpose of what we’re trying to do is develop something that’s simple and cost effective to answer that question for them,” Berger said in the story.
He and a group of researchers have been working with the tribal Mi’kmaq Nation on land they acquired from a former Air Force Base. Early findings showed that hemp can astoundingly “draw PFAS out of the soil,” according to Grist. But there is much more information to be gathered about how the troublesome chemicals move in the ground, and how plants can identify and potentially remediate them.
“I think everybody is struggling with that question, trying to figure out, what does ‘forever’ mean?” Berger said in the story.
The government has started regulating PFAS, but the chemicals are still turning up all over the place. Current testing using spectrometers costs hundreds of dollars per sample and can take weeks for results. Berger’s team developed a microbial biosensor that glows when exposed to PFAS, a much quicker, less expensive option that was successfully tested on the tribe’s land, all according to Grist.
But Berger thinks plants could be engineered in a similar way to be sentinels that glow when forever chemicals are present. It’s similar to a longtime practice of planting vegetation susceptible to certain diseases to see if the pathogen is present. In this case, a glowing row of crops identifies PFAS — giving farmers instant knowledge without more tests, Grist continued.
One study Berger mentioned in the story noted that potatoes in Maine contaminated with PFAS didn’t have the substances in the edible part, only the leaves. It’s remarkable progress. But Berger said there’s still no affordable way to eliminate them.
“It’s the million-dollar question,” he added in Grist.
The plants themselves might be able to do it. The team’s idea is to use a “specially engineered” microbe that mimics photosynthesis. Energy from the process would destroy PFAS that the microbe absorbed, as Grist described it.
It’s an early-stage idea still being tested.
“If it works, it’s the most environmentally benign way we could do things because it’s almost all biological,” Berger told Grist.
Colorado’s H2Plus is developing a water filter that can break down PFAS at the molecular level, as another example in the works. The innovations, along with more regulations and smarter product use, can help. Ditching plastic containers, bottles, and other throwaway items can limit plastic, microplastics, and other harmful waste. Switching to better products can also save you money.
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