Cadmium pollution of water, soil, and food: a review of the current conditions and future research considerations in Latin America

Abstract

The presence of cadmium (Cd) in Latin American produced food has been in the spotlight in recent years. Regarding food safety, this element can be toxic to humans at low exposure levels, and its monitoring is a question of public health. Cadmium concentrations from different sources, such as water, soil, sediments, food and beverages were examined and discussed to address the non-occupational exposure of the Latin American population. A literature review was conducted, which considered publications from 2015 to 2020 and available in the ScienceDirect and PubMed databases. Twenty-eight papers were considered for Cd in water, forty-nine for Cd in soil and sediments, and eighty-six for Cd in food. We identify and discuss factors affecting Cd environmental behavior and bioaccumulation, the main species used in monitoring studies, and the necessity for future research. Brazil and Mexico are the countries with the most available information, whereas for some countries in Central America, no information was found. The Cd levels in food examined in these studies (mostly fish and cacao) were generally below the established maximum levels, indicating a low risk. When considering the presence of Cd in food, water, and soil, Cd fractionation and chemical speciation studies are fundamental to understand which Cd species are the most toxic. In turn, studies on bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Cd in food are also needed for more adequate risk assessment but they are currently scarce in all of Latin America.

Physicochemistry of Iko River Channel in Nigeria and the Related Human Health Problems

“…An average concentration of 0.10±0.09 mg LG 1 was obtained for Cd and is above the permissible limit of 0.01 mg LG 1 in unpolluted water by Omer 41 . The main sources of Cdin aquatic environment are aerial deposition, combustion of fossil fuels, industrial wastes and Cd-related fertilizers in runoffs from adjoining farms 94,95 .…”

Ion imprinted polymers integrated into a multi-functional microfluidic paper-based analytical device for trace cadmium detection in water

“…1 Water is highly vulnerable to cadmium pollution, because of industrial wastewater, fertilizer and mine drainage. 2 According to the World Health Organization, the maximum level of Cd( ii ) in drinking water is 3 ng ml −1 . 3 In addition, Cd( ii ) are nonbiodegradable and accumulate in organisms, causing fatal adverse effects on living organisms even at low concentrations.…”

Recognition of Heavy Metals by Using Resorcin[4]arenes Soluble in Water

“…Examples of the above are those produced by Pb, which has effects on bacteria, and by Cd, which impacts the fungal population [5]. The fate and effect of these pollutants depend on the geographical and environmental conditions, the nature of the soil and the type of human activities, including the use of agrochemicals [6,7], mining [8][9][10][11] and industrial activities [12,13].…”