[Level of cadmium and lead in vegetables, fruit, cereal and soil from areas differing in the degree of industrial pollution and from greenhouses].

The content of cadmium and lead was measured in vegetables, fruit, cereals and soil from areas exposed and non-exposed to industrial pollution and in vegetables and soil from greenhouses. The elements were measured after dry mineralization by atomic absorption spectrophotometry following extraction of complexes from APDS into the organic phase (MIBK). Lead and cadmium were determined in 482 samples of vegetables, 101 fruit samples, 132 cereal samples and 297 soil samples. In the vegetables from the areas not exposed to industrial pollution lead content was below the detectability range (< d.r.) to 576.1 micrograms/kg, and cadmium was from < d.r. to 73.5 micrograms/kg. In the vegetables from areas exposed to industrial pollution lead was from 9.3 to 1044.0 micrograms/kg and cadmium from < d.r. to 552.3 micrograms/kg and cadmium from 2.3 to 132.5 micrograms/kg. In the soil from greenhouses lead was found in amounts from 17.5 to 212.0 mg/kg of air dry mass (adm), and cadmium from 125 to 750 micrograms/kg of adm. In soil from vegetable gardens lead was from 3.3 to 15.3 mg/kg of adm., and cadmium from < d.r. to 385.0 mu/kg adm. In soil from orchards lead was from 2.8 to 141.3 mg/kg adm, and cadmium from < d.r. to 810.0 micrograms/kg adm. In the soil from fields of cereals lead was from 3.0 to 67.5 mg/kg amd, and cadmium from < d.r. to 295.0 micrograms/kg adm. In fruit lead was present in amounts from 12.8 to 144.0 micrograms/kg and cadmium from < d.r. to 42.0 micrograms/kg. In cereals lead was found in amounts from < d.r. to 760.0 micrograms/kg and cadmium from < d.r. to 200 micrograms/kg.