[Content of metals in vegetables from various regions of Poland in the years 1986-1988. I. Content of lead, cadmium and mercury].

The content of lead, cadmium and mercury was determined in various sorts of Polish vegetables grown on soil or in hothouses in the years 1986-1988 using for the determination of Pb and Cd the extraction flame ASA method after dry mineralization at about 400 degrees C and for Hg the flameless ASA method after wet mineralization. In 1988 soil investigations were conducted parallelly in the areas where these vegetables had been grown. Vegetable samples were taken directly from the producers in 18 provinces, from areas not contaminated with these metals by industrial plants and traffic. About 2.5 thousand vegetable samples and about 650 soil samples were investigated. A considerable part of the vegetables, especially those whose roots are consumed, contained excessive amounts of lead--over 0.3 mg/kg (e.g. over 20% of samples of parsley leaves) and cadmium--over 0.3 mg/kg (nearly 40% of carrots samples, and about 30% of beets, lettuce grown on soil or in hothouses, and parsley roots, about 20% of samples of parsley leaves grown on soil). The levels of mercury were usually of the order of thousandths mg/kg. The mean values of these metals in soil were frequently much higher than the values regarded as most frequent in the soils of not contaminated regions of Poland.