A banana a day might NOT keep the doctor away.
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Toxic metals from industrial waste can build up in our bodies and cause health problems. In 2015, a mining disaster in Brazil released toxic metal waste into nearby soil. How did that affect crops?
Enter Amanda Duim Ferreira and team from the University of São Paulo.
They measured metals like mercury and arsenic in bananas, cocoa, and cassava grown nearby.
Fortunately, levels were NOT predicted to impact adults.
Models for children, however, pointed to possible health risks!
To keep bananas safe for everyone, policymakers may need to reevaluate toxicity thresholds.
So we can all live to a RIPE old age.