title: 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.
authors.affiliation: National Water Research Institute, Burlington, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Nriagu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pacyna
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution; D005506:Food Contamination; D006801:Humans; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014876:Water Pollution
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements