Low level determinations of environmental cadmium.

Abstract

THE discovery that environmental levels of mercury and lead present serious health hazards has led to intensified investigations into the effects of other heavy metals. Cadmium is a particularly toxic contaminant, and as with mercury, widespread environmental exposure to cadmium is related to its increased technological use1. We have developed an isotope dilution technique to measure the concentration of cadmium in aqueous solutions with a sensitivity of 0.003 µg 1−1. The concentration of cadmium in two river systems in Western Australia has been measured to establish an accurate set of low level reference determinations in a region which is relatively free of sources of industrial pollution.