Summary
This long-term field study evaluated the risk of silver bioaccumulation and food chain transfer following two decades of sewage sludge application to agricultural land. The research examined both conventional industrial silver and emerging nano-silver sources, finding that silver transfer to the terrestrial food chain remained limited despite sustained soil inputs. The findings suggest that established soil retention mechanisms effectively constrain silver mobility from sludge-amended soils to crop uptake.
UK applicability
This work is relevant to United Kingdom agricultural practice, given the historical and ongoing use of sewage sludge on farmland under the Quality Protocol and subsequent regulations. The long-term field data may inform soil contaminant risk assessments for sludge-amended land in UK farming systems.
Key measures
Silver concentrations in soil; silver bioavailability; silver transfer to crops; comparison of traditional and nano-silver sources
Outcomes reported
The study assessed the risk of silver (Ag) transfer to the terrestrial food chain following 20 years of sewage sludge field applications. Silver bioaccumulation in soils and potential uptake by crops was measured to evaluate food chain contamination risk.
Topic tags
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