Review of the Current Situation of Cd Contamination in Agricultural Field in the Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Northwestern Thailand

This paper reviews contamination status, sources and remediation of Cd in agricultural land in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Northwestern Thailand. The Cd contamination became an environmental issue because mining of a Zn deposit area located uphill of the Mae Tao creeks caused movement of Cd and Zn along the creek to contaminate agricultural soils downstream. Blood Cd levels of residents in this contaminated area were found to exceed the national average of 0.5 µg g-1 creatinine. The main route of Cd exposure in this area is the consumption of rice locally grown in this Cd contaminated area. Remediation of Cd-contaminated soils is therefore necessary to reduce public health risks. Remediation technologies considered include chemical remediation and phytoremediation.