Cadmium (Cd) is widespread in the soil, water, and atmosphere, so Cd toxicity to human can happen by breathing in air, drinking water, and eating food from plant grown in Cd-contaminated soil. Cd pollution draws a lot of attention from the scientific community and also regulatory agents and is researched widely by using both plant and animal system. In this protocol, the detection of cadmium (Cd) is described in soil and mature maize (Zea mays) plant with the atomic absorption spectrometer. The Cd uptake, translocation factor, and Cd health risk index are also introduced. The protocol can be modified slightly to measure Cd in different types of plants.
Keywords: Atomic absorption spectrometer; Cadmium; Plant; Toxicity.