Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** humans face significant health…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** humans face significant health and food security risks from heavy metals such as arsenic and lead. Food crops grown in soils with high levels of these toxic metals – whether due to natural occurrence at high levels in soil or proximity of farms to heavy metal sources – can absorb them, causing them to accumulate in the edible plant parts and ultimately contaminate the food made from those parts. As a result, research is needed to create effective techniques to minimize the accumulation of heavy metals in food crops during cultivation, reducing their exposure andrisks to humans. The primary goal of this research project is to create safe and sustainable soil amendments that can selectively bind to arsenic and lead in soil, thereby preventing plant uptake during cultivation. The soil amendments will be made from nanosized iron particles, which can react with and bind to arsenic and lead. The particles will be tailored to improve their capacity to bind to arsenic and lead in soil, prevent the release of the bound arsenic and lead as plants grow in soil, and allow for the recovery of the amendments and bound arsenic and lead from soil. The performance of the soil amendments will be evaluated in a series of greenhouse and field studies using widely consumed food crops. This project will address the problem of arsenic and lead in food, improve food safety and security, and contribute to sustainable agriculture.