Heavy Metal(loid) Contamination of Medicinal Plants: Implications for Public Health of Indigenous People.
Abstract
Medicinal plants are critical to the continuation of the culture and identity of Native American and Indigenous communities. Unfortunately, heavy metal(loid) uptake by medicinal plants poses a potential health risk, as the effects of metal uptake by plants to subsequent exposure to humans are unknown. Heavy metal(loid) contamination to soils can result from anthropogenic activities; this has occurred within many indigenous communities because of widespread colonial mineral and energy mining development on Native lands. This research project will identify how traditional medicinal plants, specifically Salvia and Thelesperma, react to heavy metal(loid)s (including arsenic and uranium) within soils and will construct an exposure assessment to predict human health exposure and risk. Advanced analytical chemistry (ICP-MS, X-ray fluorescence) and biological techniques (assessment of plant root border cell detoxification activity) will be utilized to quantify and visualize both above and below ground arsenic and uranium concentration and localization in plant and soil samples. Findings will be shared with the Navajo community for use in developing medicinal plant usage guidelines that are protective of community health. The developed environmental justice guidelines will be transferable to other indigenous peoples and communities, as they share medicinal plants and similar histories of legacy mining.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMSY0200005T
- Keywords:
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- 0855 Diversity;
- EDUCATION;
- 0230 Impacts of climate change: human health;
- GEOHEALTH;
- 0232 Impacts of climate change: ecosystem health;
- GEOHEALTH;
- 1630 Impacts of global change;
- GLOBAL CHANGE