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The practice of geophagy (soil-eating) is widespread among pregnant and breast-feeding women in sub-Saharan Africa. To assess some of the potential risks accompanying the consumption of geophagic material, we analysed contamination with bacteria, fungi, and geohelminths as well as heavy metals (lead, mercury and cadmium) in 88 African geophagic soil samples, which were purchased in Central, West and East Africa, Europe and the United States. Median microbial viable counts of positive samples were 440 cfu/g (maximum 120,000 cfu/g). The median metal concentrations were 40 mg/kg lead (up to 148 mg/kg), 0.05 mg/kg mercury (up to 0.64 mg/kg), and 0.055 mg/kg cadmium (maximum 0.57 mg/kg). No geohelminth eggs were found in these samples. Our results suggest that geophagic soil samples can be highly contaminated with microbes and may contain high levels of lead. Geophagy, however, is not a cause of adult helminth infection. The periodic consumption of geophagic materials at high dosages might be problematic particularly during pregnancy.

This study shows that pregnant women in the Vienna area have a potentially clinically significant iodine deficiency and that currently recommended doses of iodine supplementation may not be sufficient.

In the case of Se, the concentration range between essentiality and toxicity for terrestric animals and humans is rather narrow, while aquatic organisms are much less affected, and no essentiality to green plants and aquatic macrophytes has been established yet. This review focuses on the situation in Europe, where Se levels are generally low. Apart from industrial and mining activities, the main Se sources are the burning of coal and selenite additions to animal feedstuffs. Reduction processes in sediments, soils, and feedstuffs to yield elemental Se act as sinks for available Se forms. In soils and crops, Se levels get enhanced from recycling of manure, dung, and sewage sludge, which is beneficial for Europe. New data from Austria have been added to the detailed discussions. In human nutrition, Se is supplied via pork, liver and kidneys, seafood, and cereals, but main sources as well as blood Se levels vary between different countries and nutritional habits. Food processing, like boiling, baking, or grilling, results in Se losses.

In order to test current quality and nutritional merits of chocolate, 54 dark, plain and milk chocolate samples as well as cocoa were collected from the Austrian market and analyzed for many nutrient, essential and non essential elements, including the non-metals B, Si, S, and I. The cocoa contents ranged from 20-100%. Among the nonwanted trace elements, nickel was Gaussian distributed with a rather high mean of 4.9 mg/kg. Cd largely ranged below 0.20 mg/kg, but a few were higher, reaching 0.90 mg/kg. Contrary to previous studies, the same sample set was used to determine the contents of several element groups to look for interelement effects. Compared with element levels met in other sweets, element contents in chocolate were significantly higher. Many trace elements, like B-Co-Cr-Cu-Fe-Mn-Zn, ranged at levels met in green plants. Nickel concentrations were surprisingly high and about Gaussian distributed. Silicon was frequently higher than aluminium. Contaminants Pb, As, V, and Tl were very low, Cd was variable. Factor analysis grouped the element concentrations into B-Co-Cu-Mg-Mn-Ni-P-S-Zn, Al-CrFe-Si, and Ca-J-Na, which might represent a component from the cocoa bean, its outer shell, and milk. Contrary to other sweets, consumption of 100 g of chocolate satisfies the recommended daily intake for Cr-Cu-Fe, and 300 g for Mg and Zn, which is particularly important for the adequate trace element supply of children and vegans.

Industrial wastes generated from tanneries located in the southwestern part of Dhaka, pose serious threat to the environment. Surface accumulation of trivalent chromium reaching as high as 28,000 mg/kg have been encountered at 1 km distance from the waste lagoon. In contrast, maximum concentration of hexavalent chromium is about 1 mg/ kg, and is very irregularly distributed all over the area. Although soil pH is alkaline in general, a sharp drop of pH down to 3.4 has been observed at some locations. Furthermore, high chloride (Cl) and lead (Pb) concentrations pose risk for city's groundwater quality, of which Pb is vulnerable for any chelateassisted phytoremediation as it can enhance its mobility. Scanning electron microscope study showed chromium within the structure of clay minerals, mainly illite-smectite, and also as chlorite-chromian. Presence of lepidocrocite indicates a rather reactive phase which can undergo reductive dissolution and release Cr in the environment.