ABSTRACT

This chapter deals with the incorporation of arsenic in edible plants and in some native fern species in the Iron Quadrangle. Two major objectives motivated this approach: a) to evaluate the As exposure of the population of the districts of Santa Bárbara and Nova Lima through the ingestion of vegetables and herbs cultivated in their backyards and in As-contaminated areas; and b) to conduct a preliminary study of the As phytoremediation capacity of some native fern species in the municipality of Mariana, Minas Gerais, with the potential to be used to recover As-contaminated areas.