Safety and Health at Work

Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (산업안전보건연구원)
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Comparative Study of Heavy Metal Blood Serum Level Between Organic and Conventional Farmers in Eastern Taiwan

  • Mei-Hua Chung (Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology) ;
  • Kuo-Hsiang Hung (Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology) ;
  • Mi-Chia Ma (Department of Statistics, National Cheng Kung University) ;
  • Mei-Yu Liu (Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Yuli Branch) ;
  • Ru-Wei Lin (Institute of Food Safety Management, National Pingtung University of Science & Technology Pingtung)
  • Received : 2023.06.07
  • Accepted : 2023.11.09
  • Published : 2024.03.30
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Abstract

Numerous studies have indicated that organic fertilizers (OFer) might contain heavy metals (HMs) that present health risks to organic farmers (OFar). This study compared the concentrations of six HMs (Zn, Ni, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr) in the blood of two distinct groups of farmers: 30 OFar from a designated organic area in eastern Taiwan, and 74 conventional farmers (CFar) from neighboring non-organic designated regions. The findings revealed that the OFar exhibited higher levels of Zn (1202.70 ± 188.74 ㎍/L), Cr (0.20 ± 0.09 ㎍/L), and Ni (2.14 ± 1.48 ㎍/L) in their blood compared to the CFar (988.40 ± 163.16 ㎍/L, 0.18 ± 0.15 ㎍/L, and 0.77 ± 1.23 ㎍/L), respectively. The disparities in Zn, Cr, and Ni levels were measured at 214.3 ㎍/L, 0.02 ㎍/L, and 1.37 ㎍/L, respectively. Furthermore, among the OFar, those who utilized green manures (GM) displayed significantly elevated blood levels of Zn (1279.93 ± 156.30 ㎍/L), Cr (0.24 ± 0.11 ㎍/L), and Ni (1.94 ± 1.38 ㎍/L) compared to individuals who exclusively employed chemical fertilizers (CFer) (975.42 ± 165.35 ㎍/L, 0.19 ± 0.16 ㎍/L, and 0.74 ± 1.20 ㎍/L), respectively. The differences in Zn, Cr, and Ni levels were measured at 304.51 ㎍/L, 0.05 ㎍/L, and 1.20 ㎍/L, respectively. As a result, OFar should be careful in choosing OFer and avoid those that may have heavy metal contamination.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Yuli agricultural association for assisting in recruiting volunteers and providing a venue, and Professor Jian-Kang Chao for conducting hygiene education for the volunteers.

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