Detergent chemical, cyanotoxins and cabbage and potato plants
What it found
In pot experiments, a detergent chemical in irrigation water did not increase how much cyanotoxin cabbage and potato plants took up.
In some cases, the cyanotoxin levels in the edible parts went above the WHO daily intake limit.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Cyanotoxin uptake in plants
The detergent chemical did not increase the amount of cyanotoxins taken up by cabbage leaves or potato tubers. The levels were about the same with and without it.
Cyanotoxin levels above limit
In some cases, the cyanotoxin levels in the edible parts of the plants went above the WHO recommended daily intake limit of 0.04 micrograms per kilogram of body weight.
Plant health
The detergent chemical, cyanotoxins and other water pollutants did not affect the total chlorophyll or the well-being of the plants.
Cabbage leaves over time
Cyanotoxin levels in cabbage leaves increased from day 5 to day 20. The highest levels were in plants watered with raw dam water.
Potato tubers
Potato tubers accumulated cyanotoxins, with the highest levels in plants watered with raw dam water. Only one type of cyanotoxin exceeded the daily intake limit.
What the authors conclude
“These findings imply that the tested levels of LAS and MCs did not have any synergic effects on the two plant species, but irrigating food crops with such water still poses a human health risk.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the detergent chemical did not increase cyanotoxin uptake by the plants.
- They say irrigating food crops with cyanobacteria-infested water can still pose a human health risk because cyanotoxins can accumulate in edible parts.
- They recommend long-term studies on cyanotoxin levels in irrigation water and their potential impacts on crop productivity and dietetic acceptability.
How it was done
Dams in South Africa often contain both cyanotoxins and detergent chemicals at the same time. The authors wanted to know if the detergent chemical would increase how much cyanotoxin food plants take up when watered with this water.
They grew cabbage and potato plants in pots and watered them for 20 days with dam water containing cyanotoxins, with or without added detergent chemical (LAS). They measured cyanotoxin levels in cabbage leaves after 5 and 20 days, and in potato tubers after 20 days.
What it can’t tell you
- These were pot experiments with cabbage and potato plants, so the results may not apply to other plants or field conditions.
- The study cannot show what happens in people who eat these plants, only that cyanotoxin levels in the plants sometimes exceeded the WHO daily intake limit.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- No competing interests were disclosed.
- Authors work at
- University of Venda, South Africa; Technical University of Kenya., Kenya
The paper
- Title
- Effect of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate on the uptake of microcystins by Brassica oleracea and Solanum tuberosum
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Pindihama G, Gitari M, Madala N (2022). Effect of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate on the uptake of microcystins by Brassica oleracea and Solanum tuberosum . F1000Research. doi:10.12688/f1000research.125540.2Free full textPubMed 38510265DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error