Does this topic fit anywhere?
After listening to the discourse on radiation (aug 10) this morning I did a quick search as I often do and found a confirmation that plants can be used to clean up toxins. There's even a name for it (phytoremediation)! Researchers at the University of Florida noticed that the Chinese Brake Fern grew well in areas contaminated by arsenic, leading them to discover that the plant could be used to help clean up those same areas by absorbing the toxin into their fronds. They also found that "Sunflowers were very effective at removing radioactive materials from the water near the site the 1986 nuclear-power-plant disaster at Chernobyl, Ukraine. Poplar trees are also useful in removing a wide range of pollutants from soil and have been used widely for this purpose."
Here is the source, if anyone wants to read it:
http://fcit.usf.edu/flori...ces/fern-student.pdf