The dairy basin of the Mantaro River located in the centre of Peru faces serious anthropogenic disturbances as it receives emissions and discharges from the metallurgical mining activity located in the headwaters of the basin and milk contaminated with lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) endangers the environmental and human health, especially children. To measure the concentrations of Pb and Cd in milk and the dangers of their consumption in the Peruvian population, 40 milk samples were collected and quantified by atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean concentration of Pb in milk was 15 ± 2.6 µg/kg, which represented 75% of the Maximum Limit (ML), and that of Cd was 505 ± 123 µg/kg, which exceeded the ML by more than 194 times. The estimated weekly intake of Pb for people aged 2–85 years was below the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) references, determining risk coefficients (CRD) < 1. Weekly Cd intake was much higher than the PTWIs and CRDs were between 14 and 34, indicating that consumers would experience carcinogenic health effects, with children being at higher risk than adults, therefore, milk from the area is not safe for consumption. Cd would be transferred mainly through the soil (water)-grass-milk pathway, due to its presence in irrigation water and in fertilizers that contain Cd. The main pathway for Pb entry would be air-soil (water)-milk grass, from the fine particles emitted into the air by the mining-metallurgical activity, developed approximately 90 km from the study area.

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RESUMENObjetivos. Determinar los niveles de plomo (Pb) en gestantes y neonatos en la ciudad de La Oroya, Perú. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó un estudio transversal. La población estuvo conformada por gestantes residentes durante al menos dos años en la ciudad de La Oroya, cuando operaban normalmente las fundiciones de Pb, cobre y zinc. Se obtuvo muestras de sangre de la gestante antes del parto y luego del parto se tomaron muestras de placenta y sangre del cordón umbilical. El nivel de Pb de dichas muestras fue evaluado por espectrometría de absorción atómica con horno de grafito. Se determinaron regresiones cuadráticas y correlaciones de Pearson. Resultados. Se evaluó cuarenta partos normales. Los niveles promedio de Pb en la sangre materna, cordon umbilical y placenta fueron 27,4 ± 15,6 ug/dL; 19,0 ± 12,6 ug/dL y 319,0 ± 215,9 ug/100 g, respectivamente. El 67,5% de los neonatos tuvieron más de 10 ug/dL de Pb. El nivel de Pb de la sangre del cordón umbilical representó el 69,4% del nivel de Pb en sangre materna. Los coeficientes de correlación entre el Pb de la sangre materna y cordón umbilical, sangre materna y placenta, placenta y sangre del cordón umbilical fueron 0,36; 0,48 y 0,33, respectivamente. Conclusiones. Cuando funcionaba la fundición, las gestantes y recién nacidos tenían concentraciones elevadas de Pb en sangre. Las concentraciones de Pb en la placenta y cordón umbilical tuvieron una correlación moderada con el Pb de la sangre materna. El Pb de la sangre materna y cordón umbilical fue 1,5 veces más alto que los de zonas más alejadas. Palabras clave: Plomo; Mujeres embarazadas; Recién nacido; Cordón umbilical; Metalurgia (fuente: DeCS BIREME). LEAD LEVELS IN PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS IN LA OROYA CITY, PERU ABSTRACTObjectives. To determine blood-lead (Pb) levels in pregnant women and neonates in a metallurgical city of Peru. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out, the population of which consisted of pregnant women who had lived for at least two years in the city of La Oroya, at the time when the lead, copper and zinc foundries operated normally. A blood sample was obtained from the pregnant women before delivery and, after delivery, from the neonate's umbilical cord and placenta. Lead levels in those samples were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Pearson's squared regressions and correlations were determined. Results. Forty normal deliveries were studied. The average blood lead levels in the mother, umbilical cord and placenta were 27.4 ± 15.6 ug/dL; 19.0 ± 12.6 ug/dL and 319.0 ± 215.9 ug/100 g, respectively. 67.5% of the neonates registered levels higher than 10 ug/dL. Pb levels in the umbilical cord accounted for 69.4% of Pb level in maternal blood. The correlation coefficients between Pb levels in maternal blood and umbilical cord, maternal blood and placenta, and placenta and umbilical cord were 0.36; 0.48 and 0.33, respectively. Conclusions. At the time the foundry operated, pregnant women and newborns had high blood lead concentrati...

The digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), and the concentration of digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) of bovine cheek meal (CM), included in 15 and 20% were compared. The bovine cheeks not chemically contaminated, prior to the pre-tanning stage of the hides, were collected, washed, cooked, dried, and ground for their nutritional evaluation. As the CM cannot constitute 100% of the guinea pig diet, to estimate its digestibility the indigestibility coefficients of a reference diet (Barley meal-BM) were used and assuming that the indigestibility of the BM is the same in the diets with 15% and 20% CM the digestibility of CM was estimated. Twelve six-month-old male guinea pigs were used, divided into three groups of four animals per group, housed in individual metabolic cages for the total collection of urine-free feces. The DM, CP and EE digestibility’s of CM-15% and CM-20% were 72.30, 95.71 and 78.34%, and 76.34, 96.03 and 82.37%, and the DE and ME contents were 4089.5, 3353.8 and 4129.0 and 3385.8 (P < 0.05). The results would indicate that the production of CM would be a viable option to obtain a protein meal of high nutritional value for feeding guinea pigs and could totally replace other less available and expensive protein sources, such as fish meal or soybean meal, contributing to sustainable animal production and with environmental decontamination strategies.

The differences of stunting through socio-economic and productive indicators in high Andean community of Peru were evaluated (11°42′58.16″ S, 75°37′31.13″ W, altitude 3470 m). Cross-sectional study in 52 mothers with children under 5 years old was carried. A validated nutritional survey was applied. Z-scores height for age and nutritional status were determined using anthropometric methods and WHO criteria. The prevalence of stunting was evaluated by maternal educational level, food and health practices, economic level and family food production. Chi-square tests and Spearman correlations were performed in order to establish associations to P <0.05. Prevalence of stunting was 44.2%. The factors associated with stunting (P <0.05) were: Do not use gas for cooking (r=0.530), weekly economic income <50.00 dollars (r=0.503), weekly expenditure on family food <31.00 dollars (r=0.648), per capita / day expenditure on food <1.10 dollars (r=0.591), mother without studies (r=0.454), no own home ownership (r=0.413), consumption of food before 6 months old (r=0.410), low frequency of quinoa consumption (r=0.423), and fish (r=0.421), presence of childhood anemia (r=0.407); inadequate venting of smoke in the kitchen (r=0.491), not having soap for personal hygiene (r=0.413) and not having a bathroom (r=0.413). Stunting is associated with various socioeconomic, productive and access factors to food. These results demonstrate socio-economic and productive disparities for stunting in rural high Andean areas of central Peru, taking as a model the community of Tunanmarca in Jauja.