Biological environmental specimen banking in Slovakia

Biological environmental specimens, including samples of human tissues, were stored for 5-10 years after solubilizing by mineralization in boiling nitric acid. The sampling procedure, transport treatment and storing was standardized. Documentation identifying the sample and its origin were used. Data on toxic metals in dust-fall, in the individual components of the environment as soil, air, ground and surface water, plants, animals, food and human tissues (liver, kidney, lung, brain, heart and plasma) are reported for the 6 most heavily contaminated regions of Slovakia. In some areas xenobiotics in the environment seriously affected the flora and fauna, including man. Banking of specimens has been stressed as the necessity for future analyses.