Cadmium, lead and mercury concentrations in selected red deer (Cervus elaphusL.) tissues from north-eastern Croatia

Abstract

Concentrations of cadmium, lead and mercury were determined in muscle, liver and kidney tissue from three different age groups of red deer (young animals aged 6 or 7 months, middle-aged animals aged 3 to 5 years, old animals aged over 8 years) from the Baranja region of Croatia. Median cadmium concentrations were low in the muscles of all investigated age groups (0.0002; 0.0009 and 0.0020 μg/g), higher in the liver (0.0279; 0.0656 and 0.1463 μg/g) and highest in the kidneys (0.4792; 2.8531 and 6.1657 μg/g). A positive correlation was established between cadmium concentration and age. In all analyzed tissues the median lead concentration was higher in young (muscle 0.0024; liver 0.0364 and kidney 0.0618 μg/g), compared to middle-aged animals (muscle 0.0001; liver 0.0184 and kidney 0.0160 μg/g). In contrast to cadmium, mercury had a negative correlation to age but median concentrations were very low (in muscle: 0.0011; 0.0001 and 0.0006 μg/g; in liver: 0.0051; 0.0037 and 0.0022 μg/g and in kidney: 0.0145; 0.0183 and 0.0106 μg/g) especially compared to cadmium. From the hygienic point of view all the examined tissues are edible since concentrations of the analyzed metals do not exceed values proposed by the official regulations, with the exception of a few kidney samples, which contained cadmium above the recommended value. Furthermore, mercury concentrations are no longer (since 2008) a matter of legislation.

Can red deer antlers be used as an indicator of environmental and edible tissues’ trace element contamination?

“…Conversely, higher liver and kidney Pb concentrations were detected in red deer from mining (0.430, 0.805 mg/kg d.w.; Reglero et al 2008 , 2009 ) and hunting areas (0.57, 0.33 mg/kg; Santiago et al 1998 ) in Spain, historic Cu-Ni-Fe ore smelting in Ontario (1.47, 1.95 mg/kg; Parker and Hamr 2001 ), and hunting areas close to industrial centers in Slovakia (1.904, 0.561 mg/kg; Kramárová et al 2005 ). Data obtained in red deer from agricultural areas in Croatia (Lazarus et al 2008 ; Bilandžić et al 2009 ; Srebočan et al 2012 ) were in the same order of magnitude as ours. Aerial borne particles are deposited on plant surface, and ingestion of contaminated vegetation represents the main source of Pb in herbivore (Srebočan et al 2012 ).…”

Content of Selected Macro- and Microelements in the Liver of Free-Living Wild Boars (Sus scrofa L.) from Agricultural Areas and Health Risks Associated with Consumption of Liver

“…Such animal species as fish, birds, and rodents have been used as bioindicators of environmental pollution. The wild boar has also been reported in the literature [4,11,12] as a good or even excellent indicator of the environmental contamination with toxic elements. This species is a suitable bioindicator due to its wide geographical distribution (occurrence in many countries of the globe), nutritional habits (carnivore and herbivore), a relatively long lifespan (up to 20-30 years), and the ease of sampling facilitated by regular culling [13].…”

“…Their presence in the environment is a result of natural geological processes [1]. However, the increasing industrial production and agricultural activity have led to a drastic increase in environmental contamination (air, plants, soil, and water), and consequently, exposure of living organisms (plants, animals, and humans) to a variety of toxic substances, including heavy metals [2][3][4][5]. Cadmium contained in soil persists on its surface for many years.…”

Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury Exposure Assessment Among Croatian Consumers of Free-Living Game

“…For small game, only Hg exposure estimation was done. Weekly exposure to Cd, Pb, and Hg from meat and liver was estimated based on mean or 95 th percentile metal levels [34][35][36][37]. Wild boar was hunted at locations 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19 (based on references [33][34][35][36][37][38].…”

“…However, the vast majority of game is not controlled for residues because non-marketed food is not subject to these tests. Data about toxic metal levels in free-living game from Croatia are mainly limited to scientific research (29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39). In 2012, the Croatian Food Agency published a heavy metal exposure assessment (40) based on data for wild boar meat, liver, and kidney.…”