EFFECT OF ACID PRECIPITATION ON RETENTION AND EXCRETION OF ELEMENTS IN MAN

From a population of 8918 farmers, 237 were selected whose consumption of locally produced foods was high. The subjects' water sources, priv ate wells, were of different degrees of acidity. Significant associati ons between pH (median 6.7, range 4.7-8.6) of the drinking water and e lement concentrations were found. The correlation was negative for alu minium (Al; median 0.07 mumol/l), cadmium (Cd; 0.44 nmol/l), copper (C u; 0.24 mumol/l) and lead (Pb; 1.9 nmol/l), and positive for calcium ( Ca; 0.62 mmol/l) and magnesium (Mg; 0.21 mmol/l). Associations could n ot be found between the pH of, or element concentrations in, the water and concentrations of Al (0.17 mumol/l), Mg (0.86 mmol/l) and seleniu m (Se; 1.0 mumol/l) in plasma, Cd (2.0 nmol/l), Pb (0.19 mumol/l) and mercury (Hg; 13 nmol/l) in blood, or Al (12 mumol/mol creatinine) and Cu (11 mumol/mol creatinine) in urine. The concentrations of Hg in blo od and Se in plasma were related to fish consumption, Cd and Pb in blo od to smoking, Al in urine to antacid intake, Pb in blood to rifle act ivities and hunting, and Hg in blood to hunting. Acid precipitation ha s an effect on element concentrations in drinking water, but not on th e retention of those elements in the subjects investigated.