ABSTRACT
The mechanisms relating the geochemical environment of bedrock, soil, and water with nutrition, health, and disease in the world of plants and animals, including man, are extremely complex and still largely unknown. This chapter focuses on the findings of geochemical mapping in Finland, as they constitute a basis of information for geomedical evaluations and may serve as a model for future research, particularly in developing countries. It presents geochemical mapping results as a source of information on the magnitude of element reserves and particularly their regional differences in glacial till. The geochemical composition of soil and water affects plants more than higher animals and man, which obtain nutrients from secondary sources through food, drink, and polluted air. The Geological Survey of Finland carried out extensive nationwide mapping of glacial till in the course of compiling the Geochemical Atlas of Finland.
