Summary The quantities of lead, zinc, and calcium dissolved by various extraction techniques from soil, earthworm faeces, and decayed earthworm ( Dendrobuena rubida , Savigny) corpses have been studied. A small proportion of the total metals was water soluble and the amount of lead in faeces was significantly higher than in soil. Putrefied earthworm extracts gave by far the highest concentrations of all three metals. Acetic acid extractable lead was higher in soil than faeces but putrified earthworm extracts gave the highest concentration of lead. The quantities of zinc and calcium extracted were lowest in soil, higher in faeces, and much higher in decomposed earthworms. This particular species of earthworm can therefore be considered as a possible source of lead and zinc contamination in heavy metal polluted, acid soil.
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Mike P. Ireland (1975) studied this question.
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