Fields of sunflowers are great for cleaning up radioactive spills.
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Courtesy of Corel Photography
Nature's Cleaner-Uppers
News story originally written on March 3, 2000
Chemical spills are very nasty! They make land dangerous for people and animals. It takes a lot of money and time to clean them up. But scientists say some plants will do the work for us!
Crabgrass is great for cleaning up oil spills. It will attract tiny organisms that eat the oil. Poplar trees will eat up other chemicals. They end up in the limbs and leaves!
So, once the plants clean up the mess, scientists cut down them down and burn them. It takes a long time, but it is really cheap compared to the old way. Right now, scientists have to dig up the chemicals and take them out.
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