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Wednesday 22 August 2012

GMOs by another name: Nanoparticle risk to food crops

A pair of widely used chemicals in the form of tiny "nanoparticles" have been shown to spread throughout a crop plant or affect growth and soil fertility. The use of nanoparticles is increasing, yet their environmental impact is poorly understood. A report published in PNAS shows that nanoparticles present in exhaust gases and some fertilisers adversely affect soybean growth and surrounding soil. The nanoparticles harmed bacteria that the plant relies on for growth. A nanoparticle is defined as a particle that has at least one diameter that is less than 100 nanometres (nm). A nanometre is a length measurement that exists at the microscopic end of the size spectrum - you can fit one million nanometres into one millimetre...read more>>>...