Transitioning agricultural soil heavy metal management policies to phytoavailability concept

Abstract

South Korea implements policies regarding heavy metal contamination in agricultural lands based on the total concentration standards set by the Ministry of Environment. However, since the primary function of agricultural lands is to produce crops, consideration must be given to the safety of agricultural products. To achieve this, the concept of phytoavailability of heavy metals must be introduced. This is because the rate of heavy metal absorption by plants is determined more by the phytoavailability of heavy metals in the soil than by the total concentration of heavy metals in the soil. The importance of phytoavailability for safe crop production has been reported in numerous research studies, and many countries overseas use phytoavailability standards as agricultural land management criteria. In South Korea, there are provisions in the Agricultural Land Act that support the provision of lime fertilizers for use in heavy metal-contaminated agricultural lands under soil improvement projects, which can be seen as a provision that recognizes the concept of phytoavailability for the production of safe agricultural products. By adopting the concept of phytoavailability, it is possible to reduce the social costs associated with managing heavy metal-contaminated agricultural lands and contaminated agricultural products and to develop policies that meet the demands of the public for securing the safety of crops.