The Warmia and Mazury District (northeastern Poland) is oriented towards agro-forestry and is less populated then other regions of Poland. The main objective of the present study was to characterize the effects of road traffic (road S 51) on an increase in the concentrations of lead and cadmium in the soil surface layer and cereal grains (wheat and barley grown on an experimental farm). The concentrations of lead and cadmium were determined in the studied material by atomic absorption spectrometry, following dry mineralization. The highest lead concentration was observed in soil samples collected at the starting point of sampling (10 m from the roadway edge). Road traffic load had no effect on lead concentration in the soil surface layer in samples taken more than 80 m from the road. Cadmium concentration in the soil did not depend on distance from the roadway. It was shown that differences in mean concentrations of lead and cadmium in barley and wheat grains were statistically significant. Lead and cadmium concentrations in all soil and grain samples analyzed were much lower than the maximum allowable levels in Poland of chemical impurities that can be present in foodstuffs and soils used for agricultural purposes.
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