“And then we put that into a solution that has a known amount of lead in it. That’s the metal we used as our test metal. Shake it up for a little bit, and then we let the particles settle out, and then we test the water to see how much lead is left behind.”
Mr. Schauer says his students' tests showed cilantro was one of the most effective plants for pulling lead out of polluted water.
He is suggesting that cilantro be used as a water purifier. It is especially important, he says, for people living near polluting factories, or in areas such as the Tula Valley, where Mexico City leaves all of its untreated municipal waste.
“Our hope is for somebody who lives in that region to simply be able go in their back yard and grab a handful of cilantro, maybe let it dry out for a couple days sitting on a rock in the sun, and then maybe a handful of that would purify a pitcher of water.”
He believes dried cilantro could someday be sold like tea bags, or as reusable water filters to heavy metals.
The findings of field studies for cilantro in Mexico were presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Indiana.
I’m Mario Ritter.
And I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.
Thanks for joining us today on As It Is. If you would like to reach us, send an email to learningenglish@voanews.com. Or visit our website at learningenglish.voanews.com.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25