Genetically modified plants can remove cancer-causing pollutants from home
By: PTI | Published: December 26, 2018 11:14 AM
While a variety of air filters in our homes can keep allergens and dust particles at bay, some hazardous compounds are too small to be trapped in these filters.
Scientists have genetically modified a common houseplant to remove cancer-causing pollutants from our homes. While a variety of air filters in our homes can keep allergens and dust particles at bay, some hazardous compounds are too small to be trapped in these filters.
Small molecules like chloroform, which is present in small amounts in chlorinated water, or benzene, which is a component of gasoline, build up in our homes when we shower or boil water, or when we store cars or lawn mowers in attached garages. Both benzene and chloroform exposure have been linked to cancer.
Researchers at the University of Washington in the US have genetically modified a common houseplant pothos ivy to remove chloroform and benzene from the air around it. The modified plants express a protein, called 2E1, that transforms these compounds into molecules that the plants can then use to support their own growth, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
“People haven’t really been talking about these hazardous organic compounds in homes, and I think that’s because we couldn’t do anything about them,” said Stuart Strand, a research professor at University of Washington. “Now we’ve engineered houseplants to remove these pollutants for us,” said Strand.
More:
https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/science/genetically-modified-plants-can-remove-cancer-causing-pollutants-from-home/1425020/
Pothos ivy
