Water Analysis – News and Features

Soil could be our planet's unsung hero, quietly working behind the scenes to keep everything in balance. This article will discuss some of the worrying emerging contaminants detected in soil and how scientists are rising to the analytical challenge.

Chemical residues from car tires have been found in leafy vegetables grown for human consumption.

Mussels downstream of a wastewater facility that processed fracking wastewater from the oil and gas industry have been found to contain radium.

Trout living in rivers polluted by old mines have become metal-tolerant, making them genetically distinct and isolated from the wider population of trout.

Some teabags manufactured using plastic alternatives do not degrade in soil and have the potential to harm terrestrial species, a new study has shown.

The study, a collaboration between researchers at Imperial College London and GNS Science, suggests that reducing plastic pollution by 5% per year would stabilize the level of microplastics – plastics less than 5 mm in length – in the surface oceans.

Research suggests that plastic pollution must be reduced by at least 5% every year to make progress towards UN targets by the end of the century.

New research has mapped wastewater flows on farms and revealed where spikes in antibiotic resistant bacteria in slurry occurs, showing that water from copper and zinc footbaths used by dairy animals can cause fluctuations.

Dozens of Alaska's remote rivers are turning from crystal clear blue to cloudy orange as the thawing permafrost exposes minerals.

Engineered yeast-containing hydrogel capsules could be used to remove lead from contaminated water rapidly and inexpensively. The work could be especially useful in low-income areas with high lead contamination.