Will urban gardens be safe? And how can you tell if your soils are contaminated? The biologist Sónia Rodrigues sought the answers, studying sources of atmospheric pollution associated with automobile traffic. The whole story – and many others – told in the Science with Impact podcast.
In the study conducted on urban gardens, north of Porto, the major contaminant that emerged was lead – a legacy of leaded gasoline, banned decades ago, but still persisting, accumulated in urban soils.
Despite the presence of heavy metals, the study revealed that the transfer of contaminants to plant products is not automatic. Only a small fraction is transferred to the plants, and not all species absorb it in the same quantities. “The pH and the organic matter present in the soil can also reduce potential contamination,” explains the researcher.
Soil contamination is not limited to cities. The use and misuse of nanomaterials in everyday products, which end up being disseminated in terrestrial and aquatic environments, are the new contaminants, whose danger is only now beginning to be unveiled. But nanotechnology also has its advantages – it can be used in sustainable food production. See how on Science with Impact.
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