Thornton I, Webb J S
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1979 Dec 11;288(1026):151-68. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1979.0097.
Before the 1960s, comparisons between the distribution of trace elements in the environment and health in the United Kingdom were primarily confined to ad hoc studies in areas associated with particular agricultural disorders or with unusual human mortality or morbidity records. More recently, increasing interest in the importance of trace elements in crop and animal production and in the hazards of environmental pollution have created a need for more systematic geochemical data. Geochemical reconnaissance maps for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland have demonstrated the extent of many known clinical trace element problems in agriculture and have also been valuable in delineating areas within which subclinical disorders may occur. Their application to studies on the composition of soils, food crops and surface waters in relation to public health has proved encouraging. Current knowledge and present investigations into environmental geochemistry and human health in the U.K. are reviewed, together with future research requirements.
20世纪60年代以前，英国环境中微量元素分布与健康之间的比较主要局限于与特定农业疾病或异常人类死亡率或发病率记录相关地区的专项研究。最近，人们对微量元素在作物和动物生产中的重要性以及环境污染危害的兴趣日益浓厚，这就需要更系统的地球化学数据。英格兰、威尔士、北爱尔兰和苏格兰部分地区的地球化学勘查图已经展示了农业中许多已知临床微量元素问题的程度，并且在划定可能发生亚临床疾病的区域方面也很有价值。它们在与公共卫生相关的土壤、粮食作物和地表水成分研究中的应用已被证明是令人鼓舞的。本文综述了英国目前关于环境地球化学与人类健康的知识和当前研究，以及未来的研究需求。
