| Title: |
European Critical Loads of Cadmium, Lead and Mercury and their Exceedances
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| Resource Type: |
document --> technical publication --> journal article
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| Country: |
International organisation- network or project
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| Year: |
2007 |
| Availability: |
Water Air Soil Pollution: Focus 7 371- 377
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| Author 1/Producer: |
J. Slootweg
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| Other Authors/Producers: |
J.-P. Hettelingh, M. Posch, G. Schütze, T. Spranger, W. de Vries, G. J. Reinds, M. van ’t Zelfde, S. Dutchak and I. Ilyin
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| Author / Producer Type: |
University research group / research institute
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| ISSN: |
1567-7230
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EUGRIS Keyword(s): |
Diffuse pollution-->Processes
Soil-->Soil quality
Water resources and their management -->Stresses, quality and ecological status
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| Short description: |
The critical load is a measure of how much metal input from anthropogenic sources a system can tolerate.
It is the threshold below which significant harmful effects on human health and on the environment do not occur, according to present knowledge.
Based on this methodology, a team of international researchers calculated the critical loads of cadmium, lead, and mercury in 18 countries of the
LRTAP Convention, 14 of them being located in the EU. Some of the indicators used to assess the critical loads include: concentration of heavy
metals in ground water, content of heavy metals in grass and animal products (e.g. cows), and concentration of mercury in fish. The authors then
estimated the actual levels of atmospheric metal deposition using a long-range atmospheric dispersion model also developed under the LRTAP
Convention. These deposition levels were then compared to critical loads, to identify areas where ecosystems were at risk (i.e. where the critical load
is exceeded).
Results show that:
*Cadmium was not a widespread risk in 2000 and caused exceedances only in one country (Germany) due to agricultural inputs (e.g. fertilisers).
*The risk to human health posed by lead deposition decreased from 1990 on but was still widespread in 2000: in EU-25, 71.8% of the ecosystem area
(e.g. area of land and water investigated) was subject to excess lead deposition in 1990. This was reduced to 8.1% in 2000.
*The risk from mercury remained high in 2000: in EU 25, 77.4% of the ecosystem area in 1990 was at risk of ecosystem effects (terrestrial and aquatic) and 51.2% in 2000.
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Submitted By:
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Professor Paul Bardos WhoDoesWhat?
Last update: 07/12/2007
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