Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/55136
Title: Arsenic and Cadmium and Associated Risk in Farm Soils of the Dry Zone Sri Lanka where Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) is Endemic
Contributor(s): Gunadasa, Sajanee G  (author); Tighe, Matthew K  (author)orcid ; Wilson, Susan C  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2022-09
Early Online Version: 2021
DOI: 10.1007/s12403-021-00433-5
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/55136
Abstract: 

This study reports on a wide-scale, systematic sampling program over two consecutive years investigating As and Cd and associated implications for human health in farming areas of the dry zone, Sri Lanka, where chronic kidney disease with unknown etiology (CKDu) is endemic. Surface soil (0–15 cm), fertilizer and rice seed samples were collected in 2017 and 2018 from three CKDu affected areas [Medawachchiya (M), Padaviya (P) and Giradurukotte (G)], and a non-affected control site [Hambanthota (H)]. All inorganic fertilizer samples showed low As (< 30 mg kg−1) and Cd (< 1.25 mg kg−1) concentrations, less than European Union guideline values, and no correlation with soil concentrations. Arsenic (≤ 3.8 mg kg−1) and Cd (≤ 3.0 mg kg−1) in the 400 soil samples analyzed were low at all four locations, and soils were considered suitable for sensitive and agricultural use. A human health risk assessment demonstrated the As and Cd concentrations in surface soil provided no concern for non-carcinogenic risk, and negligible or acceptable carcinogenic risk for all locations sampled. The As and Cd in rice seeds harvested were also less than detection limits (< 0.1 mg kg−1). This work provides clarity around As and Cd baseline values in certain farm soils of the dry zone Sri Lanka, and no substantive evidence that the levels of As and Cd in the surface soils contribute to CKDu in local agricultural populations. Additional sampling of subsurface soil and water resources would satisfy some uncertainties with the risk assessment described.

Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Exposure and Health, 14(3), p. 543-556
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
ISSN: 2451-9685
2451-9766
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 410604 Soil chemistry and soil carbon sequestration (excl. carbon sequestration science)
410402 Environmental assessment and monitoring
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 180601 Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
180605 Soils
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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