[Antimony accumulation in agricultural food crops]

A study was made of the antimony content in some farm products of plant and animal origin in the zones of wastes of antimony factories and those having nothing to do with antimony processing. The content of antimony was discovered to be elevated in all foods obtained in the zone where antimony factories are located, especially in vegetables with ground fruit. A high antimony content was detected in milk. The content of antimony in a "standard" diet calculated on the basis of maximally allowable concentrations of the metal in foods and in analogous diets containing products of plant and animal origin grown in the Fergana and Chuisk valleys was 0.405, 8.585 and 1.702, respectively. The high proportion of vegetables and fruit in the local diets makes them, apart from milk and dairy products, the main sources of antimony supply to the human body.