Cadmium levels in Europe: implications for human health

In this study we used the Forum of European Geological Surveys geochemical baseline data to examine the distribution of cadmium (Cd) in Europe, with a particular reference to the international soil and water guideline values. The highest cadmium levels were found to occur in topsoil and to follow cl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental geochemistry and health 2010-02, Vol.32 (1), p.1-12
Main Authors: Pan, Jilang, Plant, Jane A, Voulvoulis, Nikolaos, Oates, Christopher J, Ihlenfeld, Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology
Cadmium
Cadmium - analysis
Earth and Environmental Science
Environment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Exposure - analysis
Environmental Health
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollutants - analysis
Environmental Pollution - statistics & numerical data
Epidemiological Monitoring
Europe
Female
Fertilizers
Food Contamination - analysis
Geochemistry
Geography
Geological surveys
Hazardous Substances - analysis
Humans
Male
Metals, Heavy - analysis
Prostatic Neoplasms - epidemiology
Public Health
Review Paper
Risk Assessment
Rivers - chemistry
Soil - analysis
Soil contamination
Soil Science & Conservation
Terrestrial Pollution
Topsoil
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
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Summary:In this study we used the Forum of European Geological Surveys geochemical baseline data to examine the distribution of cadmium (Cd) in Europe, with a particular reference to the international soil and water guideline values. The highest cadmium levels were found to occur in topsoil and to follow closely the distribution of P₂O₅, suggesting that the contamination was from the use of rock phosphate fertilizer in intensive arable agriculture. In terms of human health impacts, food (up to several hundred μg/day) was found as the only major route of exposure to Cd for the non-smoking general population. It appeared that low levels of chronic exposure to Cd resulted in completely different human health impacts than those high levels that had caused the ‘itai-itai' disease. Some correlations were suggested between cadmium levels and the age-adjusted prostate or breast cancer rates distributed in the European countries under study.
ISSN:0269-4042
1573-2983
DOI:10.1007/s10653-009-9273-2