Heavy metals in the food chain in Eastern Europe

Health risks of heavy metals in the food chain of industrial areas in Central and Eastern Europe

Project co-ordination:
Dr. Christiane Willeke-Wetstein
Department of Livestock Ecology
Ludwigstr. 21
35390 Giessen, Germany
phone: ++49-641-9937672
fax: ++49-641-9937679
e-mail: christiane.willeke-wetstein@agrar.uni-giessen.de

Annual report 2002 (abstract)

Health Risks of Heavy Metals in the Food Chain of Industrial Areas in Central and Eastern Europe

Summary

The main objective in the third year of this project was to analyse and present the first results of samples for monitoring pollution with the heavy metals lead and cadmium. The aim of the second workshop, held in Krakow in March 2001, was to draw relationships between results for blood samples and results for environmental and livestock samples.

Human biomonitoring

The human blood sampling in Bulgaria was conducted during the period 1999 to 2000 with a representative group of 129 children 3 to 13 years age. Three sample villages at increasing distances from the non-ferrous metal works, the point source for heavy metals in the region, were selected. Blood samples were taken from children from the following villages:

Kuklen (4 km southwest of point source) 94 children
Brestnik (6 km west from point source) 17 children
Boyantsi (14 km southeast of point source) 18 children

Boyantsi was considered the reference, non-polluted village.

Whereas the Cd blood levels of 0.35 µg/l (range 0.10-0.79 µg/l) were typical for children elsewhere, the Pb blood levels of 242± 78 µg/l were unusually high. Questionnaires on the agricultural techniques and food habits are in progress to explain some of these findings. (Fischer et al. 2001, Georgieva et al. 2001).

The human biomonitoring in Poland was carried out in October 2000 in two sample villages. The study group comprised 227 children of 7.4 ± 1.3 years age. Results for children from Nowa Huta, the polluted village, were compared with those from Zarzecze, the non-polluted reference village. Whereas blood Pb concentrations were higher in Nowa Huta (39 µg/l) than in Zarzecze, blood Cd contents were unexpectedly higher in the reference village (0.38 µg/l) than in the polluted village(0.29 µ/l). However, mean values did not exceed permissible levels for Pb and Cd (60 µg/l and 0.5 µg/l). Eleven percent of children in Nowa Huta were found to exceed the permissible levels (Huzior-Balajewicz and Pietrzyk 2001).

Heavy metal concentrations at ecosystem level

In Kuklen, the sample village in the vicinity of the non-ferrous metal works in Bulgaria, ten sample sites were selected and soil and plant samples taken in both 1999 and 2000. With the exception of 4 samples, the Pb and Cd content of the investigated soils did not exceed Bulgarian permissible levels. However, three soil samples with higher contents were taken from sample sites close to the point source. Most concerning is the fact that the sample taken from the children’s playground showed relatively high Pb levels (150 mg/kg).

Analysis of samples of forage and livestock products has not yet been completed in Bulgaria. In addition, not all of the plant samples have yet been analysed. First results show that heavy metal concentrations in plant samples are lower than the permissible level for Cd (0.3 mg/kg) but higher for Pb (4 mg/kg). These findings are not consistent with those obtained in the human biomonitoring programme and further sampling and analysis has been undertaken to elucidate the reasons for this.

Data collection and analysis at ecosystem level is not yet complete in Poland. Soil and plant concentrations of Pb and Cd would appear not to be above permissible levels.

In order to explain contradictory results at human and at ecosystem level, some of the sampling at ecosystem level will be repeated or studied in more detail (including food and lifestyle questionnaires).

Fischer, A.B, Bainova, A., Penkov, D., Willeke-Wetstein, C., Harpel, S., Eikmann, T. (2001): Lead and cadmium in the blood of children living near an industrial point source – an interdisciplinary study. Paper presented at the International Society of Environmental Medicine, Sep. 2001, Berchtesgaden.

Georgieva, R.; Nikolova, V.; Bainova, A.; Halkova, J.; Hristeva, V.; Penkov, D.; Alandjiiski, D. (2001): Health Risk from Lead and Cadmium in the Food Chain of the Area of the Smelter Plant KZM – Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Paper presented at the workshop in Krakow. 12-16 March 2001.

Huzior-Balajewicz, A., Pietrzyk, J.J., Schlegel-Zawadzka, M., Piatkowska, E., Zachwieja, Z. (2001): The influence of lead and cadmium environmental pollution on anthropometric health factors in children. Przegl. Lek 58, 315-324.

PARTNERS

	Krakow University of Agriculture, Poland		University of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Iasi, Romania		Agricultural University Plovdiv, Bulgaria
	University of Lugansk, Ukraine		University of Limerick, Republic of Ireland		Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (MLURI) Aberdeen, UK

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