Celebration of Scholars
P42 - Uptake of Consumer Product Chemicals in Lettuce Plants Grown with Biosolids as Fertilizer
Name:
Leah Martin
Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, CO
Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Rubinfeld
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research
Funding: Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Grant
Name:
Oliver Slater
Major: Environmental Science
Hometown: Kenosha, WI
Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Rubinfeld
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Independent research
Funding: Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Grant
Abstract
Biosolids are a nutrient-rich byproduct of wastewater treatment processes that have great potential as a sustainable source of agricultural fertilizer. One concern is that biosolids may be contaminated with organic chemicals that enter wastewater and survive the treatment process. Because these chemicals have the potential to bioaccumulate, they may end up in crops grown with biosolids as fertilizer. This study investigated several chemicals used in consumer products, including synthetic musks, phthalates, and triclosans, to evaluate whether lettuce grown with biosolids uptake these chemicals in measurable quantities. Lettuce plants grown in biosolids-amended soil were harvested, dried, extracted, and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Low concentrations of the chemicals were found in the lettuce grown with biosolids, but also in the control sample. Further research is needed to determine whether these chemicals were taken up from the biosolids, or from other sources.Submit date: March 17, 2025, 9:21 a.m.