US EPA

3789730 

Journal Article 

Heavy metals in agricultural soils of the European Union with implications for food safety 

Tóth, G; Hermann, T; Da Silva, MR; Montanarella, L 

2016 

1 

Environment International
ISSN: 0160-4120
EISSN: 1873-6750 

Elsevier B.V., P.O. Box 800 Kidlington Oxford OX5 1DX United Kingdom 

88 

299-309 

English 

26851498 

10.1016/j.envint.2015.12.017 

WOS:000371359300037 

Soil plays a central role in food safety as it determines the possible composition of food and feed at the root of the food chain. However, the quality of soil resources as defined by their potential impact on human health by propagation of harmful elements through the food chain has been poorly studied in Europe due to the lack of data of adequate detail and reliability. The European Union's first harmonized topsoil sampling and coherent analytical procedure produced trace element measurements from approximately 22,000 locations. This unique collection of information enables a reliable overview of the concentration of heavy metals, also referred to as metal(loid)s including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn, Sb. Co, and Ni. In this article we propose that in some cases (e.g. Hg and Cd) the high concentrations of soil heavy metal attributed to human activity can be detected at a regional level. While the immense majority of European agricultural land can be considered adequately safe for food production, an estimated 6.24% or 137,000km(2) needs local assessment and eventual remediation action. 

ANE, Europe; Food chains; Bioremediation; Heavy metals; Copper; Food contamination; Lead; Trace elements; Soil; Agricultural land; European Union; Zinc; Cadmium; Human factors; Food production