How does cannabis destroy nuclear radiation and toxic soil?
Cannabis is a great plant that has an incredible amount of uses. Some of the most popular uses include pharmaceuticals, plastic, animal feed and paper material. Not only can hemp fibre be used to make all sorts of products from clothing to paper to concrete bricks, but hemp plants also have an extraordinary ability to remove foreign substances and heavy metals from contaminated soil through a process called phytoremediation.
The use of cannabis for phytoremediation to decontaminate radioactive soil is now becoming one of the most important areas of scientific research. In this article, we will give you a detailed insight into how cannabis helps to decontaminate soil.
How did cannabis become the hero of Chernobyl?
For nearly twenty years, cannabis grown around the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the town of Pripyat, Ukraine ,has helped to reduce the toxicity level of the soil. After the nuclear accident, toxic substances entered the area through cows and other livestock that grazed on the surrounding plants. In order to clean up the area of toxic substances and to prevent further spread of radioactive radiation, various types of hyperaccumulators, mainly hemp, wereplanted .
Plants suitable for phytoremediation
Phytoremediation is a very simple and inexpensive way of decontaminating contaminated sites. Certain plants, which are known ashyperaccumulators, are able toabsorb metals and other toxic substances from the soil through their roots and can also break down or neutralise certain pollutants. Various plants have been used in Chernobyl because of their ability to absorb specific contaminants, such as cabbage, corn and, more recently, sunflowers and hemp. Hemp is considered to be one of the best plants used for phytoremediation, mainly because of its excellent resistance to heavy metals.
Why is hemp suitable for soil decontamination?
Hemp is an ideal plant for bioremediation because it grows very quickly, roots deep into the soil and does not have a negative effect on the pollutants present.
Hemp can absorb large amounts of cadmium without any negative impact on the plant itself. Cannabis is characterised by beingvery resistant to most contaminants, which do not hinder its growth or keep it in good condition. Hemp also has amazing healing powers and can therefore destroy nuclear waste.
Where is hemp used for phytoremediation?
Italy
In 2008, an Italian farmer discovered that his land was contaminated with dioxin, a toxic chemical that had leaked from a nearby steel mill. In an attempt to save his land, he thought of using hemp as a phytoremediation plant to remove toxic chemicals from the soil.
Another place is Apulia in Italy, where industrial hemp is being used extensively to decontaminate some of the most contaminated soils in Europe. The largest steel plant of its kind in Europe, called Ilva, has beencontaminating local soil, plants, animals and residents with its toxic emissions for decades. In an effort to decontaminate the soil , farmers have planted thousands of cannabis plants there .
Japan
In the wake of the catastrophic environmental damage caused by theFukushima nuclear power plant accident, Japan has begun to consider using cannabis as a means of dealing with the damage caused by the disaster. However, according to the Cannabis Regulation Act, cannabis can only begrown in Japan with a licence, which is also very difficult to obtain.
The use of cannabis for soil decontamination is groundbreaking
Cannabis could benefit hundreds of thousands of places around the world. Indeed, it has the potential to help clean up and improve the environment. One of the many reasons why cannabis should be legalised is precisely to protect the environment by planting the plant. Cannabis could benefit hundreds of thousands of places around the world as an effective and valuable tool in repairing the environmental damage caused by humans.
Interested in this article? You'll find plenty more on our blog. For example, check out the growing section, where you can choose from a lot of articles on how to grow cannabis plants properly.
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