2. Pollutant exposure routes for gardeners

When studying human exposure to metal pollutants in soils, various routes of intake can be taken into account: direct routes such as ingestion of soil particles and dust, inhalation of dust and skin absorption, but also indirect routes such as consumption of self-produced food grown on contaminated soils. Numerous daily activities bring people into contact with soil and dust, both indoors and outdoors (gardens, playgrounds, etc.). Although young children represent the population group most at risk for behavioral and physiological reasons, adults are also directly exposed to soil pollutants during leisure activities, particularly gardening.