Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are toxic metals of great occupational
importance, but are nowadays even more significant as
environmental pollutants. Both Pb and Cd can seriously affect organs
and various systems of an organism and can cause severe acute and
especially chronic intoxications. Current European Cd intake is close
to the tolerable weekly intake with recent epidemiological evidence
showing that environmental exposure to Cd increases total
mortality (EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM),
2011; Nawrot et al., 2010), while the quantity of Pb used in the 20th
century, even though the use of Pb has been restricted in many