Using Tobbaco and synchrotron's to clean the environment

X-ray images showing the lead concentration in the stem and root of tobacco. EDTA aids in the uptake of lead into the plant. The lower concentration in the root and the higher concentration in the stem show that tobacco is an efficient plant for removing lead from the soil.

"Heavy metals are very poisonous to plant life. Contaminated soil can cause plants to grow slowly, stunt their growth and even destroy them. Although there are other methods of removing the contaminants, such as removing the soil all together and depositing a fresh layer of uncontaminated soil, they produce a lot of waste and are very costly. Phytoremediation offers an inexpensive way to help clean up the soil that doesn’t produce a large amount of waste."

www.nsls.bnl.gov...

Removing toxic chemicals from the soil without removing the soil is a noble cause. Simply growing plants on the toxic site then removing the plants may be the answer the world have been waiting for to clean up the mess of the past.

Interesting. Maybe now the tobacco companies can help clean up the environment instead of selling products that kill its own customers.
I wonder though, what happens to the plant? Will it just stay in the ground or does it get harvested for consumption?