Polyacrylamide review: soil conditioning and environmental fate
1994
Seybold, C.A.
The adoption of polyacrylamide (PAM) in reducing irrigation induced erosion in California's San Joaquin Valley has been stymied by the lack of information about its toxicity and environmental fate. A review of the literature was conducted to bring to the forefront knowledge of polyacrylamide, its effectiveness in controlling erosion and its environmental fate. Polyacrylamide is a water-soluble, high molecular weight synthetic organic polymer that primarily interacts with the clay fraction of soils. The degree of interaction depends on both the properties of the polymer and properties of the soil. It is effective in stabilizing soil aggregates, reducing soil erosion, and increasing water infiltration, and also has an indirect significant impact upon crop growth and yield. For the most part, polyacrylamide is resistant to microbial attack, and its degradation is mainly through physical breakdown. Polyacrylamide has been shown to be non-toxic to humans, animals, fish, and plants; the only concern has been the toxicity of its residual monomer (acrylamide) content, which is a known neurotoxin to humans. The residual monomer is bio-degradable and does not accumulate in soils. The major source of acrylamide that is released into the environment if from the use of polyacrylamide products, so the FDA regulates the residual monomer content of PAM used in food contact products. If the acrylamide content is kept to a minimum, PAM itself does not pose any environmental threat, and thus, can be used effectively as a soil conditioner.
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