Most people are familiar with the idea of a farm-to-table meal. has been shown to readily absorb particles generated from car tires.This study medicine Their potential harmful effects are not yet known.
As rubber tires carry us, they produce microscopic tire wear particles (TWPs) that contain antioxidants, vulcanization accelerators, activators, processing aids and plasticizers. Researchers say these particles enter the environment at a rate of about 1 kg per person per year. Ultimately, the particles are hoisted into agricultural soils through a combination of atmospheric sediments, road runoff, and sludge from wastewater treatment plants that farmers use as fertilizer. In fact, researchers estimate that about 93% of the TWP remains after the wastewater has passed through these plants, and that in Germany alone, between 1,400 and 2,800 tons of his TWP are sprayed on agricultural land each year. I have.
Previous studies with ultraviolet light had shown that many of these particles release contaminants in the upper layers of the soil, but the team knew what would happen if the chemicals moved further down. Do they enter the root system and are taken up by the plant?
To find out, lettuce plants were placed in a hydroponic solution to which five tire-based contaminants were added. He notes that, with the exception of quinones, none of the compounds tested have yet been shown to be toxic.
“Our measurements showed that the lettuce plants took up all the compounds we investigated through the roots, transported them to the lettuce leaves, and accumulated them there,” said the Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS). ) PhD student Anya Sherman said: Co-first author of the study.
The team also experimented with adding tire crumbs to the water and found that the lettuce plants were still swallowing the pollutants.
CMESS senior scientist Thorsten Hüffer said: “The unknown toxicity of these metabolites poses so far unassessed health risks.”
Researchers point out that while such chemicals are stable inside the lettuce plant, they can be unlocked by eating them. “It’s easily broken down,” Sherman said.
In the next phase of research, the team will experiment with plants in soil to see how the plants interact with tire particles.
A current study was published in a journal environmental science and technology.
Source: University of Vienna
