The impact of asbestos cement pollution in irrigation water on physiological and germination characteristics of Trifolium pratense, Medicago sativa, and Solanum lycopersicum seeds

Our plain-English summary of The impact of asbestos cement pollution in irrigation water on physiological and germination characteristics of Trifolium pratense, Medicago sativa, and Solanum lycopersicum seeds, by G.Z. Macher, A. Torma, D. Beke (Scientific Reports, 2025).

The study

• Authors: G.Z. Macher, A. Torma, D. Beke
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Published: 2025;15(1):16265
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

This paper investigates how plants respond to stress caused by asbestos cement products in irrigation water. It presents a thorough evaluation of the exposure and risk factors for plants, water, and soil when exposed to these materials. The experimental results provide empirical evidence of plant stress responses based on physiological and germination parameters. The research is motivated by concerns about environmental contamination from asbestos cement in irrigation water, which can be toxic to plants and lead to soil pollution, negatively impacting vegetation and soil quality. When exposed to asbestos in water, plants experience toxic stress that can inhibit photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, and germination. Asbestos can also adversely affect cell division and metabolism, risking plant growth, reproduction, and overall health, as well as making them more susceptible to disease and pests under environmental stress. The paper examines the impact on germination and physiological parameters of Trifolium pratense, Medicago sativa, and Solanum lycopersicum, particularly how they were affected by pre-established concentrations of irrigation water mixed with asbestos cement during a controlled germination experiment. The research methodology was developed in the absence of established global practices, standards, and methods, creating an opportunity for further methodological advancement. The findings could serve as a situational analysis for professionals in environmental plant protection and analytical fields.

© 2025. The Author(s).

In plain English

This was a laboratory experiment on plant seeds, not a study of people. The authors, in Hungary, tested how water mixed with asbestos cement affected three varieties each of Trifolium pratense, Medicago sativa and Solanum lycopersicum. The asbestos cement, of a kind commonly used in Hungary, contained 8.00 to 10.0% chrysotile asbestos. Test solutions were prepared at six concentrations from 1.00 to 50.0 mg/l, and results were compared with water-only controls given double-distilled water. Seeds were placed in Petri dishes, 10 per dish and five dishes per dose. At 50 mg/l, average germination as a percentage of the control was 57.5% for Trifolium pratense, 56.6% for Medicago sativa and 64.0% for Solanum lycopersicum. Root length and shoot height were also lower. At 1 mg/l, values were closer to the controls. The authors concluded that 1 mg/l had minimal impact while 50 mg/l produced significant decreases in all measures. Their figure captions, however, describe significant reductions at both doses. They noted that their method was developed without established standards and that other stressors could influence the results.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Controlled laboratory germination experiment comparing six concentrations of asbestos cement solution (1.00, 2.00, 5.00, 10.0, 25.0 and 50.0 mg/l) with a control group given double-distilled water
• Who was studied: Seeds of three varieties each of Trifolium pratense (Salino, Rozeta, Altaswede), Medicago sativa (Emiliana, Gea, Algonquin) and Solanum lycopersicum (Manó, Kecskeméti 549, Mobil). There were 10 seeds per Petri dish and five dishes per treatment dose, for 350 test items per type.
• Exposure: Asbestos cement products commonly used in Hungary, containing 8.00 to 10.0% chrysotile asbestos and 90.0 to 92.0% cement. The material was ground, suspended in doubly distilled water for 24 hours and filtered. The control group received double-distilled water.
• Main results:
  • Trifolium pratense, germination as a percentage of control (whole group average): 93.2 plus or minus 0.16% at 1.00 mg/l and 57.5 plus or minus 6.04% at 50 mg/l
  • Trifolium pratense, root length as a percentage of control: average 95.4 plus or minus 0.21% at 1.00 mg/l and 50.0 plus or minus 3.94% at 50.0 mg/l
  • Trifolium pratense, shoot height as a percentage of control: average 91.7 plus or minus 1.39% at 1.00 mg/l and 44.0 plus or minus 2.34% at 50.0 mg/l
  • Medicago sativa, germination as a percentage of control (whole group average): 94.9 plus or minus 1.15% at 1.00 mg/l and 56.6 plus or minus 2.95% at 50 mg/l
  • Medicago sativa, root length as a percentage of control: average 95.2 plus or minus 3.30% at 1.00 mg/l and 59.1 plus or minus 1.68% at 50.0 mg/l
  • Medicago sativa, shoot height as a percentage of control: average 97.2 plus or minus 1.41% at 1.00 mg/l and 68.3 plus or minus 2.14% at 50.0 mg/l
  • Solanum lycopersicum, germination as a percentage of control (whole group average): 96.3 plus or minus 1.26% at 1.00 mg/l and 64.0 plus or minus 2.36% at 50 mg/l
  • Solanum lycopersicum, root length as a percentage of control: average 86.6 plus or minus 5.87% at 1.00 mg/l and 55.9 plus or minus 3.57% at 50.0 mg/l
  • Solanum lycopersicum, shoot height as a percentage of control: average 95.6 plus or minus 0.05% at 1.00 mg/l and 57.8 plus or minus 1.75% at 50.0 mg/l
  • The figure captions for all three species state significant reductions in root length and shoot height at both 1 mg/l and 50 mg/l (p less than or equal to 0.05), with greater inhibition at the higher dose
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that 1 mg/l had minimal impact on germination and growth, similar to the control, while at 50 mg/l all parameters showed significant decreases, indicating a dose-related effect.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The method was developed without established global practices, standards or methods.
  • The observed effects may be influenced by multiple stressors acting at the same time, such as leached heavy metals or construction-related contaminants.
  • Confounding factors such as nutrient availability, water quality or climatic conditions may complicate interpretation of the dose-response relationships.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos-Cement.

Related studies

• Epidemiology study of the use of asbestos-cement pipe for the distribution of drinking water in Escambia County, Florida — J.R. Millette, G.F. Craun, et al. (1983)
• The use of asbestos-cement pipe for public water supply and the incidence of cancer in selected communities in Utah — T.D. Sadler, W.N. Rom, et al. (1984)
• Surface characteristics of asbestos fibers released from asbestos- cement products — J.A. Helsen, P. van de Velde, et al. (1989)
• Assessing the impact of waste co-incineration at the Anhovo cement plant (Slovenia) on the regional cancer burden — V. Zadnik, M. Birk, et al. (2025)
• Aglianico Grape Seed Semi-Polar Extract Exerts Anticancer Effects by Modulating MDM2 Expression and Metabolic Pathways — R. Cuciniello, F. Di Meo, et al. (2023)
• Degradation of asbestos - Reinforced water supply cement pipes after a long-term operation — J. Zavašnik, A. Šestan, et al. (2022)

Browse more research in Scientific Reports, or return to medical research.