Cadmium in Soil and Terrestrial Biota, with Emphasis on the Danish Situation

The cadmium load on the soil and terrestrial biota in the industrialized countries appears to be on the increase. Due to a relatively high mobility of this metal in the soil-plant system, the likely gradual increase in soil concentrations will influence the cadmium load on organisms in the terrestrial biota.

It might be too early to predict the actual rate of increase in the cadmium load on specific organisms but some attempts to do so have suggested an annual increase rate of 0.5-2% in the human food intake of the metal. Although the present cadmium pollution of the environment at large is not yet crucial, the most sensitive species, man and other long-lived mammals, might soon need introduction of countermeasures to seriously reduce the load of this toxic metal.

The most feasible countermeasures to be taken are reductions in emission to air directly or indirectly via reduction of the indiscriminate use of the metal for common consumer goods. A decrease of the inflow to soils in phosphate fertilizer may be more difficult to curb, but a reduced fertilization rate on most areas might be possible without loss of fertility.

Sludge may not be a major source of cadmium nationally, but may locally significantly increase the inflows to agriculture (Statens Naturvårdsverk, 1978; Miljøstyrelsen, 1980; Umweltbundesamt, 1981; Department of the Environment, 1980.