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"special" plants: Ray's post
Ray,
Not so far fetched... see below from BBC (August 22):
Testing time for flower power
Scientists have been pulling up sunflowers as part of a trial to see if
contaminated ground near nuclear reactors can be cleared of
radioactivity more efficiently.
The idea is part of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd's (BNFL) latest move
against radioactive contamination.
It hopes that the sunflowers, planted earlier this year in a lightly
polluted trench at the ageing Bradwell Power Station in Essex, will
have sucked up the contamination.
BNFL says the plants can then be burnt safely.
'Early days'
The aim is to prevent hundreds of tons of soil having to be dug up
and taken to its radioactive waste store at Drigg in Cumbria.
Technicians also planted spinach, Indian mustard and sugar beet
in the trench.
BNFL spokesman Robin Thornton said the amount of radioactivity
involved was very small.
"If we can get the plants to draw out the radioactivity and clean the
soil all we would have to do is burn the plants and dispose of the
ash," he said.
"It is early days yet but if we find the right plants and best methods
it would apply to different types of toxic materials and clean up
other contaminated sites."
Scientists will test the harvested plants to see which variety is
most successful in collecting
radioactivity.
------------------
Sandy Perle
Technical Director
ICN Dosimetry Division
ICN Plaza
3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Office: (800) 548-5100 x2306
Fax: (714) 668-3149
sandyfl@earthlink.net
sperle@icnpharm.com
ICN Dosimetry Website:
http://www.dosimetry.com
Personal Website:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/1205
"The object of opening the mind, as of opening
the mouth, is to close it again on something solid"
- G. K. Chesterton -
The opinions expressed are solely, absolutely, positively, definitely those of the author, and NOT my employer
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