Soils and geomedicine

Eiliv Steinnes

Department of Chemistry
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway

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18th World Congress in Soil Science, Philadelphia 2006
 Geomedicine:

The science dealing with the influence of natural

environmental factors on human and animal health

This talk will discuss trace elements under natural conditions:

• Geographical variability of trace elements in nature,

including soils

• Deficiency problems in man and domestic animals

• Excess problems in man and domestic animals

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 Trace elements have often been discussed in soil science in
connection with influence of human pollution on food quality,
and hence on human health.

Worldwide however trace element imbalances in the natural

environment may be more important in human nutrition than
anthropogenic pollution.

Examples:

Arsenic poisoning (natural) of drinking water in

Bangladesh/India

Selenium deficiency diseases in China:

Keshan disease
Kashin-Beck disease

Excessive fluoride intake in many areas of the world, leading

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to dental fluorosis
 Elements essential to plants

H He

Li Be B C N O F Ne

Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar

K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr

Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe

Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn

Fr Ra Ac

Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu

Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr

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 Elements essential to man and mammals

H He

Li Be B C N O (F) Ne

Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar

K Ca Sc Ti (V) Cr Mn Fe Co (Ni) Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr

Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe

Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn

Fr Ra Ac

Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu

Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr

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 Geochemical variability of trace elements on a
regional scale:

Northern Scandinavia as an example

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 Essential trace elements

Element Human serum, Crustal Human serum/

normal level mean crustal mean
µg/L µg/g

Mn 0.6 950 0.0006

Cr 0.2 80 0.0025

Co 0.3 20 0.015

Fe 1100 41000 0.027

Mo 2 1.5 1.3

Zn 930 75 12

Cu 1100 50 22

I 60 0.14 430

11 Se 100 0.05 2000

 Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD):

”Insufficient intake of iodine is the world´s most common

cause of mental retardation and brain damage
- with 1.6 billion people at risk
- 50 million children already affected
- 100,000 more adding to their ranks every year”

C. Dissanayake, Science 339, 5 August 2005

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 Global distribution of Iodine Deficiency Disorders
13 (R. Fuge, in O. Selinus (ed.): Medical Geology)
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 Atmospheric deposition patterns of selected elements in Norway 1985
as evident from analysis of terrestrial moss from 500 different sites (ppm)

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 Most natural soils in Norway are podzols:

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 Transects used to study atmospheric deposition of halogens and
selenium in Norway (Frontasyeva and Steinnes, 2004)
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 1000

Cl

100
mg/kg

Br
10

I
transect 2
1
0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280 320
Distance from the coastline, km

Halogens in surface soil in northern Norway

19 (Frontasyeva and Steinnes, 2005)
 Halogen concentrations in the ocean:

Cl - 19400 mg/L
Br - 300 mg/L
I - 0.06 mg/L

Why is iodine so enriched in surface soil relative to the other

halogens?

Iodine is strongly concentrated in marine organisms such as algae

During their metabolic processes the organisms release iodine in the form of methyl
iodide (CH3I)

Methyl iodide is volatile and insoluble in water, and therefore released to the
atmosphere

Iodine thus becomes strongly enriched on the marine aerosols carrying halogens onto
land surfaces

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 Global distribution of Iodine Deficiency Disorders
21 (R. Fuge, in O. Selinus (ed.): Medical Geology)
 Selenium deficiency and excess areas in USA
(F. Fordyce, in O. Selinus (ed.): Medical Geology)

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 Distribution of the incidence of Keshan Disease in China
(After J. Tan (1989)

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 ”Large-scale selenium experiment” in Finland

Background:
High incidence of cardiovascular disease in the Finnish
population around 1970

Observations:
- Finnish agricultural crops were distinctly poorer in Se
than comparable products in other European countries
- Epidemiological studies indicated that low Se intake
correlated positively with increased risk of
cardiovascular disease

Action:
Addition of selenium to all multinutrient fertilizers
(came into use in 1985)

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 Se content in cereals grown in Finland
(H. Hartikainen, J. Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology 18 (2005) 309-318)

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 Selenium in milk in Finland 1983-2002

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 Atmospheric deposition patterns of selected elements in Norway 1985
as evident from analysis of terrestrial moss from 500 different sites (ppm)

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 Transects used to study atmospheric deposition of halogens and
selenium in Norway (Frontasyeva and Steinnes, 2004)
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 Atmospheric deposition of selenium in central Norway as a function of distance from
the ocean, as reflected by moss analysis
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 Atmospheric deposition of selenium in western Norway as a function of
distance from the ocean, as reflected by moss analysis
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 J. Låg and E. Steinnes, Ambio 3 (1974) 237-238:

Selenium concentrations in natural surface soils are more than 5

times higher in coastal regions of Norway than in some areas
protected from marine influence by mountain ranges (0.82 vs 0.15
ppm)

This indicates that the marine ecosystem is a source of Se to the

soil.

Selenium concentration in ocean water is only 0.1 µg L-1!

- but Se is strongly concentrated from the water by marine

organisms

- and liberated in the form of (CH3)2Se and other volatile

and water-insoluble selenium compounds

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 World map of documented high-fluoride groundwaters (>1.5 mg L-1)

35 (M. Edmunds and P. Smedley, in O. Selinus (ed): Medical Geology)

 Jaffna

-
Sites with >1.5 mg/l F

Climatic Boundary

Mannar DRY
ZONE

Trincomalee

Anuradhapura

Batticaloa

WET
Colombo ZONE

Hambantota
10 0 10 20 30 Km

Fluoride in drinking water and occurrence of dental fluorosis, Sri Lanka

C. Dissanayake, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, personal communication

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 Important subjects for future geomedical studies in
areas where people depend on food of local origin:

Essential trace elements in food crops:

a. Trace element deficiency/ excess in the plants as such,
affecting the growth of important crop species and hence the
total food supply
b. Imbalances in trace element transfer from plants to humans
and domestic animals
Essential trace elements in animals:
c. Trace element deficiency/excess in domestic animals as such,
affecting animal health and hence the total food supply
d. Imbalances in trace element transfer from domestic animals to
humans
Essential trace elements in human population:
e. Biomonitoring : Screening of trace elements in blood and other
human organs
f. Epidemiological studies of diseases known or suspected to be
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related to trace element imbalances
 Organic farming:

Is it a source of new geomedical problems in developed

countries?

Modern commercial fertilizers contain essential trace

elements in amounts adjusted to the need in regions where
they are applied

Organic farmers do not accept commercial fertilizers

Deficiency problems in animals are starting to develop on

some organic farms where the soil cannot supply the
necessary amounts of essential trace elements.

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 Final remarks:

• The natural contents of essential and toxic elements in soil and

water resources show large variation on different geographical
scales

• In large parts of the world human populations still depend on

locally grown food

• Health problems related to trace element imbalances are well

known. However, such problems are probably much more
widespread than generally anticipated - particularly in developing
countries

• Soil scientists have an important role to play in future geomedical

studies
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 Soil and Health in IUSS:

Division 4:
”Soils in Sustaining Society and the Environment”

”Soils and Geomedicine” is one area where more work

needs to be done

Coordinator: Eiliv Steinnes

Scientists from different parts of the world are welcome to join me

in this work!

Please contact me during the symposium

- or by e-mail: eiliv.steinnes@chem.ntnu.no

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 Relevant literature:

J. Låg (ed.): Geomedicine.

CRC Press 1990

H.C.V. Skinner and A.R. Berger: Geology and Health:

Closing the Gap. Oxford University Press 2003

J. Deckers and E. Steinnes: ”State of the art on soil-

related geo-medical issues in the world”.
Advances in Agronomy, Vol. 24, 1-35 (2004)

O. Selinus et al. (eds.): Essentials of Medical Geology.

Elsevier 2005
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