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Quantitative assessment of worldwide contamination of air, water and soils by trace metals

Abstract

Calculated loading rates of trace metals into the three environmental compartments demonstrate that human activities now have major impacts on the global and regional cycles of most of the trace elements. There is significant contamination of freshwater resources and an accelerating accumulation of toxic metals in the human food chain.

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Nriagu, J., Pacyna, J. Quantitative assessment of worldwide contamination of air, water and soils by trace metals. Nature 333, 134–139 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/333134a0

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