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Fungi May Help With Asbestos Cleanups

Posted by timothy on from the repurposing dept.

Makarand writes "Asbestos cleanups are tricky as disturbed soil can disperse and make asbestos fibers airborne. Now scientists are developing bioremediation measures that involve allowing iron-gathering fungi to grow on asbestos contaminated soil and render the asbestos harmless according to this article in Nature. The toxicity of asbestos is partly due to its iron content and microorganisms can help by removing it from the asbestos. Also, the fungi bind asbestos fibers into a web making it difficult for them to become airborne. Identifying the asbestos-attacking genes and introducing them into other microorganisms may be the next step in fighing asbestos pollution."

6 of 31 comments (clear)

  1. Literacy issues by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    When are we going to get real editors around here? First of all, the singular of "fungus" is "fungum" not "fungi". Second, the plural of "asbesto" is "asbestii".

  2. I'll loan them the stuff growing in my bathroom. by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 4, Funny

    That stuff will grow on anything. Just feed it a steady diet of chlorox and water.

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  3. Disclaimer by PaddyM · · Score: 2, Funny

    ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA may also eat carrots from your garden. Do not place ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA near iron i-beams. ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA has been found to cause cancer in ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA. And like coffee, ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA is good for the heart, bad for the heart, stimulating, depressing, addicting, and tastes terrible on Mondays.

    1. Re:Disclaimer by Captain+Nitpick · · Score: 2, Funny
      ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA may also eat carrots from your garden. Do not place ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA near iron i-beams. ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA has been found to cause cancer in ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA. And like coffee, ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA is good for the heart, bad for the heart, stimulating, depressing, addicting, and tastes terrible on Mondays.

      Do not taunt ASBESTOS-EATING-BACTERIA.

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  4. Is it American fungus? by Hubert_Shrump · · Score: 2, Funny

    Because I can see all the cancer-of-the-golgi-apparatus lawsuits a mile away...

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  5. OSR by kippy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
    Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
    Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
    Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
    Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
    Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
    Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death.

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