Abstract
The bioaccumulation of cadmium in humans is of concern as it has a long half-life in the human body, and chronic exposure has been linked to kidney dysfunction (Wilks et al. 1990) and prostate tumours (Wagner 1993; Ekman 1999). Occupational exposure, diet, smoking, and drinking water are the key pathways by which Cd is taken up by people. The potential for transfer of Cd to humans from diet is of particular interest, as Cd concentrations in agricultural soils can be elevated due to their amendment with applications of phosphate fertilizers, animal manures, and sewage sludge, as well as, long-range transport of anthropogenic emissions containing metals. Agricultural soils can also be elevated in Cd as a result of their geological origin, as seen with the black Prairie soils of Canada and the United States of America (Garrett 1994). Whatever the source, elevated Cd in agricultural soils has led to grain and oil seed products with Cd concentrations that are in excess of the WHO provisional maximum allowable concentration in foodstuffs (0.1 mg/kg, WHO 1989). These elevated Cd concentrations have become a non-tariff trade barrier to the export of this wheat, despite the lack of information about the bioavailability of grain Cd to the human digestive system.
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