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Phosphorous in Ukraine
Gristmill reader Grevangelical was in Ukraine when this happened, and he says people there are nervous about it. Wonder why?
Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Kuzmuk, who on Tuesday compared the spill to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, has since insisted there is no health risk to surrounding villages ...
By the way, the highly toxic phosphorous compounds wafting around the region are mainly used in fertilizers. Wouldn't it be cool if we didn't have to use poisons to grow our food?
David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.
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Ask Umbra on ditching dirty things
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wiscidea Posted 3:49 pm
25 Jul 2007
"Wouldn't it be cool if we didn't have to use poisons to grow our food?"
FYI...
Up to 50% of the total amount of phosphorus in the top layers of soils from the Midwest and other temperate zones is probably bound to humic substances and not available to plants. It must be mineralized before roots can absorb it. Thus, the tendency to apply inorganic phosphorus to agricultural fields. (I think, but I'm not sure, that much of the phosphorus in manure is also not available to plants. Someone will, I'm sure, clarify this matter.)
Fortunately, there are at least two enzymes that can catalyze the release of the phosphorous locked in soil. Furthermore, it would not be difficult to engineer cultivated plants so they secrete a low amount of either enzyme immediately around their roots, making the phosphorus available. This would substantially reduce the need to apply fertilizer containing inorganic phosphporus, reducing the farmer's cost, protecting the environment from excess phosphorus levels, protecting human health, reducing potential hazards from the mining and distribution of phosphorous, and reducing the amount of energy -- and CO2 emissions -- used for moving phosphorus from mines to agricultural land
Unfortunately, environmentalist are preventing us from taking advantage of this technology.
Oh well... nothing like trying to save the world with one hand tied behind you back.
Forward!
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