SOILS tainted with heavy metals from industrial pollution and sewage sludge may poison organisms that live in the soil far more readily than thought. The finding raises fears that unexpectedly high levels of toxins are getting into the food chain.
Contaminated soils are given hazard ratings that are based on the key assumption that organisms can only take up heavy metals and other pollutants if they are dissolved or suspended in water percolating through the soil. A large proportion of pollutants are assumed to bind tightly to soil particles, making them inaccessible to organisms feeding on the soil.
But Renaud…
