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Assessment of pollution of agricultural land and crops by heavy metals and other inorganic contaminants

Project ID:
LWR1/1994/957: Assessment of pollution of agricultural land and crops by heavy metals and other inorganic contaminants
Collaborating Countries:
Malaysia, Thailand
Commissioned Organisation:
CSIRO Division of Land and Water, Australia
Project Leader
Dr Mike McLaughlin
Phone: 08 8303 8433
Fax: 08 8303 8565
Email: Mike.McLaughlin@csiro.au
Collaborating Institutions:
  • Department of Agriculture, Thailand
  • Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, Malaysia
Project Budget:
$87,274
Project Duration:
01/01/1997 - 31/12/1997
ACIAR Research Program Manager
Dr Ian Willett
Project Background and Objectives

There is growing concern about contamination of agricultural soils and crops. Residues in traded food commodities are monitored and there have been instances of commodities being banned as a result of contaminant concentrations. This small project aims to define the extent and severity of inorganic contaminants on soil and crops in Malaysia and Thailand. The main objectives are to develop baseline data for toxic metal concentrations in soils and crops and develop expert analytical techniques to allow monitoring of contaminant levels. Key elements to be studied are arsenic, boron, cadmium, copper, chromium, fluorine, mercury, lead and zinc. In addition, the project aims to determine if contamination of soils by agricultural and industrial activities is likely to have an impact on soil quality and future productivity, and also to determine if the contamination of agricultural foodstuffs can be related to pollutant concentrations in soils.

Project Outcomes
Outcomes for this project are currently being prepared