Lead is one of the top three most common soil contaminants, along with cadmium and arsenic. Because there is such a high amount of
lead contamination in America’s cities, and the cost to clean it all up would
be exorbitant, scientists have been trying out new techniques to reduce the
risk of lead poisoning altogether.
According
to the New York Times, the surprising solution is fish bones. More
specifically, it is the calcium phosphate contained in the fish bones that does
the trick. Scientists have been
adding fish bone meal to lead contaminated soil. The calcium phosphate in the
ground up fish bones then combines with the lead in the contaminated soil and
forms pyromorphite, which is a harmless, consumable crystalline material. This,
in turn, neutralizes the lead’s poising effects on humans, thus reducing the
risk of lead poisoning.
This
solution, which has been pushed forward by the Environmental Protection Agency,
has actually been in use for at least the past twenty years. This option is also much more
affordable than alternative forms of lead cleanup, and if it catches on, has
the potential to replace the old method of digging up and disposing of
contaminated soil.
Photo Credit: Jim
Wilson, The New York Times
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