Do Plants Next To Roads Absorb Pollution And Become Harmful?

Plants next to roads can absorb pollution and become harmful, but it really depends on the type of pollution and how close the plant is to the road.

Vehicles don’t just produce carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides, but also other types of particulate matter, including carbon that comes from fuel combustion of the engine. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) constitute a small proportion of this particulate matter. These chemicals are known to cause certain types of cancer. However, they don’t – directly – affect the plants. Instead, they mix up with dust and land on nearby vegetation, which means that plants and veggies get less sunlight than normal. This is certainly a bad thing.

Lead is arguably the most dangerous aspect of growing vegetables close to busy roads. Vehicles produce some plant contaminants, and lead is the most dangerous. Lead gets absorbed in the soil, and as such, plants cannot guard against them. Thus, there’s a chance that the lead will get into the veggies that you grow in your ‘urban’ garden.