Plant-Based Sensor Detects Arsenic Levels in Real Time
Written by AZoSensorsDec 14 2020
Scientists have designed a novel living plant-based sensor that can detect and track arsenic levels in the soil in real time.
Food crops can be contaminated with arsenic through water, given that the chemical is naturally present at high levels in groundwater in certain areas. Image Credit: Mufid Majnun from Pixabay.
Arsenic is known to be a highly noxious heavy metal. In fact, arsenic pollution is a significant threat to human beings and ecosystems in several Asia-Pacific nations.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), food preparation, drinking water and irrigation of food crops contaminated with arsenic present the greatest threat to public health, because high concentrations of this toxic chemical naturally exist in the groundwater of many countries.