[Evaluation of the cadmium content in sedimented and floating dust as factors in contamination of the biosphere].

In a territory being 3.500 km2, the cadmium deposits from the atmosphere were determined at 63 sites in 52 towns and communities. These determinations yielded a mean value ranging from 0.13 to 0.15 mg/m2 . 30 d. On the contrary, the mean value (-x) was 0.33 mg/m2. 30 d in the region of heavy-metal-emitting industries. The mean cadmium content in the aerosol was between 0.003 and 0.004 microgram m-3 and, respectively, 0.016 microgram m-3 in case of cadmium emission. It was calculated that the mean proportion of cadmium in the sedimentary dust was between 13 and 16 p.p.m. The cadmium burden, as estimated as cadmium sediment, correlated with the extent of the developmental area. The authors recommend for the present the following maximum permissible values: 0.05 microgram m-3 in the aerosol, and 0.15 mg/m2. 30 d. The cadmium content in the sedimentary dust may be considered to be a permanent burden applied via the food chain, whereas the content in the aerosol is of less importance to the total uptake in man. The calculation of the daily pulmonary uptake yielded a value of 0.075 microgram, from which an absorption of 0.038 microgram is estimated.