News Center Maine reports on UMaine Extension research about crops soaking up PFAS
News Center Maine reported on research conducted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and Maine Farmland Trust in collaboration with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Department of Environmental Protection about crops that may be able to absorb PFAS from the soil. Plants like hemp have been shown to suck the chemicals out of the soil, a process known as phytoremediation. The researchers have found that corn also exhibits this process and takes up PFAS into the stalk, but not the ear of corn. They are also analyzing crops like carrots and beets to see if chemicals are only showing up in their leaves and not the roots. The Atlanta Business Journal shared the News Center Maine report.