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Soybeans Susceptible to Man-Made Materials in Soil

August 21, 2012

“…Researchers contend that manufactured nanomaterials–now popular in consumer products such as shampoos, gels, hair dyes and sunscreens–may be detrimental to the quality and yield of food crops, as reported in a paper in the online edition ofProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences….”

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Manufactured nanomaterials are man-made materials produced by manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Their effects on human health and the environment are the subject of much scientific study.

“As MNMs are used more and more in consumer products, there is a higher likelihood that they will end up in wastewater treatment facilities,” said lead researcher John Priester, an environmental scientist at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Conventionally-treated wastewater is a primary source of normally nutrient-rich organic materials applied to agricultural soil, and farmers beneficially use this treated water and the biosolids from it as fertilizer. As MNMs become more prevalent, there is concern about MNM buildup in soils and possible MNM entry into the food supply….”

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“These results indicate broader risks to the food supply,” the researchers write in the paper. They go on to say the environment could be affected even more since increased synthetic fertilizer would be required to offset lost nitrogen fixation, a process that soybeans and other legumes use to convert atmospheric nitrogen into natural fertilizer.

“These are very significant findings; they highlight the importance of full life-cycle tracking of manufactured nanomaterials in consideration of environmental impacts,” said Alan Tessier, a program director in the National Science Foundation’s Biology Directorate. “If the nanomaterials tested in this paper were to move into the biosolids or irrigation system used in agriculture, they could seriously harm agricultural production.”

“Completely preventing nanomaterials from entering agricultural soils may be difficult,” said Priester. …”

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?org=NSF&cntn_id=125233&preview=false

August 21, 2012 - Posted by arclight2011 | Uncategorized