How to check the presence of cadmium in potatoes, and how it is dangerous to humans

Many potato lovers are unaware that a familiar product can cause heavy metal cadmium poisoning. Therefore, buyers and summer residents should know how to eat potatoes without harm to health.

What is cadmium

Cadmium is a widespread chemical element that can accumulate in plant and animal organisms... Its cumulative effect at higher doses is fatal.

Metal has a detrimental effect on the body's systems - this is due to the ability of cadmium to modify sulfur-containing compounds and amino acids. By linking them, he rebuilds the work of all glands that produce enzymes and hormones. This leads to a violation not only of the hormonal background, but also to the disorder of the nervous system, since cadmium destroys bone tissue and protein.

Cadmium enters the human body every day. The consumption rate is considered to be 2.5 mcg per week per 1 kg of body weight.... Severe poisoning is possible by inhalation of vapors with cadmium (up to 2.5 g / m³ of cadmium oxide within 1 minute). The main symptoms are severe pain in joints and bones, vomiting, anemia and seizures.

Reference. Mining workers have a high risk of toxicity. However, shrimp and champignon lovers also have cause for concern. The cadmium content per 1 kg of these products reaches 1.2 mg and 160 mg, respectively.

Where does cadmium come from in potatoes

Cadmium in its pure form does not occur in nature... Its atoms are scattered in soil, water, minerals. It is a constant companion in mines, in places of extraction of zinc, copper and salts on their basis.

Cadmium in potatoes is due to several factors... If the plants were treated with cheap phosphate fertilizers (without quality certificates), the substance norm will be exceeded. This is because many mineral supplements contain cadmium as a natural impurity element.

Cadmium-rich phosphates provoke the ability of the crop to absorb this element from the soil in even larger quantities. Fertilized potatoes can contain impressive doses of cadmium during the harvest season. Exceeding the norms is always associated with over-fertilization, non-compliance with the rules when working with chemicals, the desire to increase yields, while saving on fertilizers.

The main ways of contamination of potatoes with heavy metals are associated with natural factors, first of all, the soil on which the vegetable grows. If there is a metallurgical or chemical production near cultivated fields, the content of cadmium and other metals is always exceeded.

Some of the compounds end up in the soil as a result of the discharge of processing waste into rivers, the other part falls in the form of precipitation, harmful condensate with cadmium vapors. The ratio is calculated as 70/30. That is, the main source of cadmium is soil with rivers and canals, which are used for irrigation.

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How to determine if potatoes contain cadmium

The problem of determining the cadmium content in vegetable crops is not solved in practice... An ordinary buyer or summer resident will have to order a laboratory examination at his own expense, where the presence of cadmium and its concentration are detected using reagents (sulfides). The more substance in the tuber, the more pronounced yellow color the pulp acquires.

In Russia, the maximum permissible metal mass is no more than 0.03 mg per 1 kg of fresh potatoes... In Europe, this figure is underestimated to 0.025 mg / kg. This is due to the increased content of cadmium in soils, in particular, in Germany, where about 100 thousand people already suffer from kidney failure due to the abuse of phosphate fertilizers.

Important! Nitrate testers do not even help determine the content of the nitrates themselves. Their device is based on measuring the electrical conductivity of salts. The only thing that can be learned from these devices is the total concentration of salt compounds.

The cadmium content in everyday life is identified by the appearance of the tuber.... Potatoes cannot contain a lethal dosage (150 mg / kg), but given that the culture forms the basis of the diet in many Russian families, it will be useful to know which product is not worth buying:

1. Due to the direct relationship between the content of phosphates and cadmium in potato tubers, they choose a vegetable without traces of over-fertilization.
2. Tubers should be smooth, without dots, spots and uncharacteristic formations of a different color.
3. The pulp should not give off bitterness, unpleasant odor, or cause digestive problems. When cut, the pulp should remain evenly firm, crispy, without excess liquid.
4. If you try to pierce the peel with your fingernail, the "stuffed" potatoes will not emit the characteristic crackle, and excess juice will come out of the pulp, which in the season means clear evidence of over-fertilization of the crop.

For home analysis, use the following method:

1. Cut the potato into slices of 2-3 mm.
2. A slice is selected from the core and the one that is closer to the edge.
3. If both make the same sound when breaking, then the tuber is safe for consumption. When boiled, the vegetable will be cleansed of 70% of harmful nitrate formations.
4. If the slices "sound" differently, the vegetable is potentially dangerous. Nitrates and phosphates are collected under the skin of the fruit, in the pulp (1-2 cm). If juice emerges from the core on the cut, and the pulp itself is dense, the vegetable is "fertilized" entirely.

On average, 1 kg of potatoes contains 0.006 mg of cadmium... This indicator varies depending on soil fertility and territorial location. Removal of this toxin is almost impossible. By the age of 50, every inhabitant of the planet accumulates about 50 mg in the body. And this is taking into account the fact that every 10 years the body is freed from half of the total content.

Why is he dangerous to humans

The danger of cadmium is determined by its ability to accumulate in tissues.... There are also radioactive isotopes that cause irreparable changes in cell nuclei. The action of this heavy metal is hidden from human eyes. Symptoms of poisoning appear at the stage of destruction of bones, excretory system (liver, kidneys) and impaired enzymatic functions (including the endocrine system).

Important! Cadmium is a highly hazardous metal (second class). Entering the body through the blood (digestion, respiration), it mainly accumulates in the kidneys, liver, tubular bones, pancreas and spleen.

Excreted from the body mainly through emptying (up to 48 mg per day). The remainder causes toxic poisoning over time.

Mechanism of action:

• violates phosphorus-calcium, salt metabolism;
• causes deformation of protein cells by binding to them;
• destroys the tubules of the liver and kidneys, which leads to the inability to properly cleanse the body without losing useful trace elements, contributes to the formation of kidney stones;
• destroys bones - this leads to fractures for no apparent reason, deforms the skeleton;
• impairs ventilation of the lungs, causes shortness of breath;
• causes severe pain in muscles, joints and spine;
• is able to degenerate tumors into malignant cancerous neoplasms;
• neutralizes the action of zinc, selenium, iron;
• destroys immunity;
• increases blood pressure, causes hypertension;
• negatively affects the glands, rebuilding their work;
• deactivates the work of the ovaries and testes.

Signs of poisoning appear gradually or instantly in case of acute poisoning with vapors (oxide and cadmium salts).

Symptoms of intoxication:

• acute muscle and bone pain;
• vomiting, diarrhea, often with blood;
• pain in the stomach;
• pulmonary edema (with vapor poisoning);
• weakness, chills, high fever;
• spasms and cramps in the sternum and abdomen.

The degree of poisoning largely determines the course of the disease.... With food poisoning (10-30 mg at a time), the symptoms are similar to poisoning with stale food or water. Body systems fail gradually. Most often, a person understands what kind of food makes him feel bad, and turns to a doctor for help. Modern biochemical analyzes allow to determine the increased content of cadmium in urine and take action in time.

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Expert recommendations

Treatment of cadmium poisoning is a long process... The patient is prescribed special injections, rest, walks in the fresh air and a special diet. Fatal outcome occurs only with prolonged exposure to vapors and dust with metal.

To reduce the harmful effects of cadmium, experts advise to consume daily with food. daily intake of vitamins and minerals. For the purpose of prevention, intravenous injections of vitamins, dietary supplements with zinc, copper, selenium, iron and phosphorus are prescribed.

For a safe diet, doctors advise to use only boiled tubers.... And summer residents are advised to use only organic fertilizers and liming the soil.

Conclusion

The cadmium in potatoes can be harmful to health at any age. The concentration of the element in the soil where the vegetable grows is constantly increasing. To reduce the likelihood of poisoning when buying, tubers should be checked for nitrates.