Seaweed, alginate and heavy metals

One possible application of alginate/seaweed is for the inhibition of absorption of lead, the concentration of which is steadily increasing in our environment  ex. anti-knock agents in gasoline, from where it contaminates food products and finally raises blood lead-level. These findings can be extended to barium, cadmium and zinc, and alginates/seaweed are recommended as a preventive measure in areas such as the vicinity of mines and chemcial plants, where a high degree of pollution from metals exists. If we include the populations of all industrial areas and all polluted large cities in the world into the part of mankind which  could need a chemical protection from heavy metals, there are still supplies enough. A good three quarter of the world´s unexploited seaweed/alginate resources are made up by an estimated 26 million tons of brown algae/seaweed, all in cold waters. This figure does not refer to the standing crop but to the potential of harvestable seaweed available with reasonably increased efforts. Largest in bulk may be the supplies of kelp and rock-weed belonging to the genera Laminaria, Asco and Fucus.