The brake fern, whose scientific name is Pteris vittata, is the first plant known to accumulate arsenic in extremely high concentrations and still flourish, scientists said. The discovery was reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature. A crystalline chemical, arsenic is one of the best known poisons. Arsenic taints many sources of drinking water in the United States and abroad. People who drink arsenic-contaminated water over long periods are believed to run a higher risk of bladder, lung and skin cancer, as well as other heart and lung ailments.
Some arsenic is naturally present in soil.
It also comes from some farm chemicals, wood preservatives and other industrial products. Ma said that, unlike many ferns, this one likes the sun. It could potentially be cultivated in water and act as a natural arsenic filter. And the fern's arsenic-loving genes could potentially be spliced into other plants. Some plants are already used to remove other pollutants from the environment, a process known as phytoremediation.