[Heavy metal pollution of soil and garden products of Stolberg home gardens and lead and cadmium pollution of small farms in Stolberg]. / Untersuchungen zur Schwermetallbelastung von Böden und Gartenprodukten aus Stolberger Hausgärten und zur Blei- und Cadmiumbelastung von Kleingärtnern aus Stolberg.

Cadmium, lead and zinc were determined in garden soils and vegetable products from private gardens located in a lead/zinc smelter area (Stolberg, Germany). At the same time lead and cadmium were measured in blood and urine samples collected from 90 garden owners. Inspite of extraordinary high levels of cadmium and lead in garden soils and vegetables, blood lead, blood cadmium and urine cadmium levels were not or only slightly elevated in the gardeners when compared to a reference group of subjects from the same area who did not consume home-grown vegetables and fruits. The results show that high levels of pollutants in soil and vegetables are not necessarily associated with an increased burden of pollutants in the human body, and that the transfer of pollutants from soil to humans might have been overestimated in some cases. Moreover, the results underline the preventive character of the guideline values presently applied with respect to the evaluation of soil contaminants.