Fertilizer industry officials warned their members about the increased chance that imported Chinese zinc fertilizers could contain high levels of cadmium.
A memo sent by officials of The Fertilizer Institute told fertilizer manufacturers, importers and distributors that a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher warned that zinc fertilizers containing high amounts of cadmium have been appearing in other countries. The USDA warning said the levels recorded in other countries suggest that hazardous heavy metals may have been purposefully dumped into fertilizers as a way to dispose of them.
Bill Herz, vice president of scientific programs for TFI, told DTN in an interview that the purpose of the communication is to protect both the industry and the customers buying fertilizer products. He recommended that members review state and federal regulations and conduct their own spot testing for heavy metals.