«More Does Not Mean Better» - An Approach to the Toxicological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals Lead and Cadmium and Herbicides Linuron, Fluazifop-P-Butyl, and Cycloxydim in Dry True Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita L. Rauschert)

Kadmij i rezidua navedenih triju herbicida u osušenom cvijetu industrijski uzgojene kamilice bili su povišeni iznad preporučenih podnošljivih vrijednosti. Rezultati su razmotreni s obzirom na postojeću zakonsku regulativu o herbicidima u Republici Hrvatskoj i postojećim preporukama FAO/WHO te na procjenu pojedinačnog i zbirnog toksikološkog rizika u ljudi. Kritički je razmotrena i odbačena uobičajena poljodjelska praksa pretjerane uporabe herbicida. Preporuča se prospektivna primjena biljaka kao prirodnih indikatora onečišćenja čovjekova okoliša te za procjenu toksikološkog opterećenja u čovjekovu prehrambenom lancu.Cadmium and all three enumerated herbicide residues in dried samples of industrially grown true chamomile were found to be above the suggested and accepted tolerance values. The results are discussed with regard to the current Croatian regulation and FAO/WHO recommendations on herbicides and to human toxicology risk assessment. The paper gives a critical evaluation of the herbicide overuse in agricultural practice and strongly discouraged such practice. The authors advocate prospective use of plants as natural indicators of environmental contamination and toxicological burden of the human food chain