Root Uptake of Cobalt in Common Plants and Vegetables
Authors:
- Students:
- Hiba Ayub
- Aleksa Kirkus
- Lauren MacLean
- Isabella Nisperos
- Aashka Trivedi
- Kaitlyn Tuvilleja
- Isabella Wilton
- Carol Woulfe
- Mariam Xydakis
- Teachers:
- Erin Horan
- Mentors:
- Olga Antipova (Argonne National Laboratory, XSD-MIC)
Advanced Photon Source Sector 2: Microscopy
The presence of cobalt in soil samples from North Wales, Cuba, Northwest Spain, and the Copperbelt of Africa drew the attention of the Federal Food and Drug Administration Agency as well as the World Health Organization, due to the toxicity associated with this element. Last year the Lemont High School Exemplary Student Research Program student researchers participated in testing, observation, and analysis of plant uptake of cobalt to determine the long-term impacts of element toxicity and its relation to plant vitality. This year the experiment was continued with a different beam line. It is essential to understand the toxicity of cobalt in ground-rooted plants.