HEAVY METALS AS A POTENTIAL HAZARD TO POPULATION HEALTH IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD

The military actions taking place today on the territory of Ukraine have led to environmental pollution with heavy metals. Heavy metals change soil characteristics, damage plants, which in turn reduces yields and threatens food security. In addition, heavy metals have a negative impact on human and animal health through the food chain. Therefore, consumption of plant products with a high content of heavy metals leads to their entry into the body in quantities exceeding the maximum permissible consumption rates. Cadmium compounds are particularly dangerous because they have a long half-life in the body. Accumulating in the body, cadmium stimulates the development of oxidative stress and can lead to diseases of vital organs.