CHED 1135 |
| Reports after hurricane Katrina revealed major lead contamination in sediments found in most districts in New Orleans. To further understand lead uptake and to address residents' concerns about the safety of their home grown vegetables and fruits, we decided to investigate if tomato plant can uptake, accumulate, and sequester lead from a contaminated hydroponics medium. Triplicate sets of tomato plants were exposed to 1665 and 827 ppm of lead-miracle grow solutions. After 28 days, the plants in the 1655 PPM lead solution suffered necrosis and died. The plants in each triplicate were washed and separated into leaves, stems, and roots. The plant parts for each triplicate were dried and analyzed using Niton XRF metal analyzer. The results suggest that the stem and root contained lead levels above 86,000, and 100,000 ppm, respectively. No lead was found in the leaves and control plant parts. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Environmental Chemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |