Fungi May Help With Asbestos Cleanups

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."

Comments

Good news

[kruetz]

This sounds like a great but increasingly rare achievement - scientists getting somewhere that actually benefits the world (although I thought that asbestos problems had been mostly solved by removing it from all buildings, etc). I'm sick and tired of reading in the papers about all sorts of trivial or "pop-science" experiments being done by scientists in a last-ditch effort to either get funding or exposure.

Imagine if they could extend this to handle diseases and other toxic chemicals - it could spell a much safer world for everyone. No more anthrax-in-envelopes killing people! Far less dangerous workplaces at chemical production plants. Way to go!

Re:Good news

[barakn]

It is incorrect to assume "that asbestos problems had been mostly solved by removing it from all buildings, etc." Unfortunately, asbestos will be around for a long time. Consider the case of Libby, MT. For years this town's residents mined vermiculite contaminated with tremolite, a very hazardous form of asbestos. This vermiculite was used as insulation, potting soil, came home to families on miners' clothing, etc., and so almost the entire town is now contaminated. Rates of rare cancers have sky-rocketed. Also consider the World Trade Center's asbestos. Luckily it was only used on the first 40 floors of the North tower and half of it was later removed, but still the dust that coated lower Manhattan was contaminated with the stuff. Controversy still swirls around issues of the cleanup and its costs.

I'll loan them the stuff growing in my bathroom.

[Unknown Poltroon]

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

Re:Good news --is it really that rare?

[gene_tailor]

Perhaps you aren't reading the right sources? The newspapers *choose* to report on "pop-science", but that doesn't mean that that is all that is going on in scientific research!

The scientists doing the routine baby-steps-forward type of work, especially in non-sexy areas of research, are not the ones getting the big publicity. With regards to this topic in particular, there are many scientists working on bioremediation efforts with biological organisms, including bacteria that metabolize toxic chemicals or "treat" sewage or oil spills, plants that absorb heavy metals, etc. Try doing some searches for more info and you might be surprised what is already possible.

Disclosure: I'm a scientistst, so I'm biased to believe that many scientists are doing something beneficial for the world...

Cleaning up...

[DaveOnNet]

Did they also come up with something to get rid of the fungi once all the asbestos is gone?

Re:What happens

[k98sven]

when that excess iron enters the food chain? People talk about GM crops, but things like this are where the danger lies.

Oh, please.. get a clue. This is IRON we're talking about,
one of the most well-known substances around.
(our knowledge goes back to.. well, the iron age..)

Iron does *not* bioaccumulate.

Iron has a low level of toxicity, almost all cases of iron-poisoning are
due to children swallowing large amounts of iron tablets.

Also, the risk of this bacteria spreading is minimal. Being able to eat asbestos does not provide you with any evolutionary advantages.

You might as well propose a ban on cast-iron skillets.