Abstract
Recognizing concealed health risks and pertaining high-risk groups is a cardinal task of the Public Health Services. As far as relevant environmental pollutions concerned protection of high-risk groups on the basis of appreciation of the average load and also of the 90th-percentile is insufficient. Public health strategies must be found which also include protection of the most highly exposed 10 % of the population. More than thousand years of mining and metallurgical engineering in the Harz mountains is the reason why heavy metal contamination in soil and air by arsenic, cadmium and lead is a problem in parts of the Harz region. Small children playing in soil with their "Pica-behaviour", hand to mouth contact, to the most endangered group. Therefore it was the duty of the District Community Physician to declare limit values for heavy metals and arsenic in the soil of child playgrounds. Experiences in Goslar/Harz region are reported.
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