Researchers are trying to find simple ways that could be used to removelead from residential areas throughout the Midwest. A new study isusing plants to extract the lead from the ground. The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Transcript
Researchers are trying to find simple ways that could be used to remove lead from
residential areas throughout the Great Lakes region. A new study is using plants to
extract the lead from the ground. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham
reports.
Using plants to suck up contaminants –called phytoremediation– has been used before in
big industrial and military clean-ups. But this study will take place in backyards, using
plants such as sunflowers and goldenrod. Kimberly Gray is a researcher at Northwestern
University. She’s co-leading the study.
“What we’re trying to come up with are strategies that a family,
that an urban resident can employ in their garden to stabilize or extract
lead from contaminated soil over time to reduce the threat of lead exposure
to the members of their family, particularly children.”
Lead poisoning in young children can cause permanent damage to the central
nervous system and reduce intellectual capacity. The study will take place
in Chicago- which has the highest number of lead-poisoned children in the
nation. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.