Distribution of Toxic Metals in Organs of Local Cattle, Sheep, Goat and Poultry from the West Bank, Palestinian Authority

Abstract

Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to measure the concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn in muscles and internal organs (liver, kidneys, heart, and lungs) of cattle, sheep goat and poultry sampled from local markets in the West Bank, Palestinian Authority. Mean levels of metals (dry weight basis) during this study were as follows: Cd: 0.34-0.57 microg/g, Pb: 0.2-4.7 microg/g, Cr: 0.44-3.62 microg/g and Cu: 1.03-217.9 microg/g. Muscles and internal organs of each species were found to have statistically different metal levels. Generally, livers and kidneys were found to have the highest levels of metals and muscles the lowest levels. When compared to each other, the four animal groups either did not show any significant differences or no clear trends. Compared to results reported in the literature, our results were comparable to or less than most of the studies reported from clean sites in different countries.

Heavy Metals and Trace Elements in the Livers and Kidneys of Slaughtered Cattle, Sheep and Goats

“…Copper level in liver samples was significantly higher than kidney samples in all species (P< 0.05). Liver was the main organ containing copper, followed by the kidney, muscle, and blood, concurs with previous studies [14,19]. According to metal richness and total rank score, organs had the following order: liver > kidneys > heart > lungs > muscles.…”

Lead, Cadmium, Zinc, and Copper Bioavailability in the Soil-Plant-Animal System in a Polluted Area

“…Pollution factors (PF), calculated as ratios of the metal levels in the rabbits from group A to the metal levels in rabbits from group B, were 2.88, 2.27, and 2.20 for liver, bone, and kidneys, respectively. Several studies have shown that Cd concentrates more in the kidneys than in the liver [20,26,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39].…”

“…The transition of heavy metals from this type of fodder into the nourished animals is studied in detail in pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats [17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26]. Very little is known, however, about the heavy metal content and localization in the organs of rabbits.…”

Heavy Metal Contents in Beef Cattle Grazing in Landfill of Makassar City, Indonesia

“…Pb metal enters the digestive tract and it is absorbed by the intestine, then enters the blood circulation and binds to blood proteins and is then distributed throughout the body's tissues (Swaileh et al, 2009). Besides Pb causes the decrease in nerve conduction velocity, the Pb is not only disrupting nutrient interactions in the body (Malaka, 1994;Darmono, 1999), but also it accumulative and chronic (Yulaipi and Aunurohim, 2013).…”