SVIBOR - Project code: 3-03-298

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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Project code: 3-03-298

SOURCES AND DEGREE OF MERCURY, LEAD AND CADMIUM CONTAMINATION OF ANIMALS

Main researcher: SREBOČAN, VJEKOSLAV (44295)

Assistants

SREBOČAN, EMIL (101566)

Type of research: applied
Duration from: 01/01/91. to 12/31/94.

Papers on project (total): 7
Papers on project quoted in Current Contents: 2

Institution name: Veterinarski fakultet, Zagreb (53)
Department/Institute: Department for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Section of Toxicology
Address: Heinzelova 55
City: 10000 - Zagreb, Croatia

Communication: Fax: 385 (0)01 214 697; Phone: 385 (0)01 2390 162

Summary: The concentrations of mercury, lead and cadmium in the muscular,liver and kidney tissues of cattle, pigs, lambs, fattened chicks,turkeys, fresh-water fish, and in animal feed, premixes, mineralnutrients and raw phosphates were investigated on the territoryof the Republic of Croatia. It has been found that the concentration of mercury in muscular,liver and kidney tissues of cattle, pigs, fattened chicks,turkeys and fresh-water fish is below the maximum allowedconcentration (MAC), except some samples of pike, perch and sheatfish from the rivers. The concentration of lead in tissues of the animals investigated,in mean values, is also below the MAC values, but some samples ofkidney tissue of pigs exceed the MAC values. The concentration of cadmium in muscular tissue of 20% cattle,23% lambs, 47% fattened chicks, 25% turkeys and 41% fresh-waterfish; in liver tissue of 20,3% cattle, 13,3% pigs, 12,5% fattenedchicks and 22,5% fresh-water fish; and in kidney tissue of 26%cattle, 10% pigs and 7,7% fresh-water fish exceed the MAC values. The concentration of mercury and lead in animal feed, mineralnutrients and premixes, and the concentration of cadmium inanimal feed were within borders of MAC. Mineral nutrients, andespecially raw phosphates, were highly contaminated with cadmium. It is proved that the principal source of cadmium contaminationof these animals is animal feed containing mineral nutrients andpremixes. The primary source of cadmium contamination wasestablished to be the raw phosphates as the component part ofphosphate fertilizers and mineral nutrients. Nevertheless, themajority of total cadmium concentration mean values in muscularand specially in liver and kidney tissues of the large number ofanimals examined did not exceed the MAC values. In the period 94-95. our work was directed to experimental investigations on the influence of mercury on fish. By histochemical methodes we studed the influence of mercury on the liver enzyme activity in carp. It was found that mercury significantly changes the activity of enzymes involved in the anaerobic methabolism in liver. We also studed the influence of mercury on the hemathological characteristics in carp. Significant changes in the number of small, large and total lymphocyte were found. Morphological changes in the large lymphocyte was also observed.

Keywords: mercury, lead, cadmium, cattle, pigs, lambs, fattened chicks,turkeys, fresh-water fish, animal feed, premixes, mineralnutrients, raw phosphates, histochemistry, haemathology

Research goals: The goal of the investigations is to represent a degree ofcontamination of domestic animals and fresh-water fish with thesemetals, with regard to species, feeding and growing behaviour,origin related to the geographic territory of Croatia, as well asthe sources of these metals. From the results expected, so far itcan be seen that muscular, liver and kidney tissues arecontaminated with cadmium in a larger degree. The sources of thismetal is animal feed, that is the raw phosphates, which are asupplement of mineral nutrients in animal feed. The goal of our study was extended on the influence of mercury on liver metabolism and haematological caracteristic in fishes.

Other information about the project.


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