Monitoring of Lead in Topsoil, Forage, Blood, Liver, and Kidneys in Cows in a Lead-Polluted Area in Slovenia (1975–2002) and a Case of Lead Poisoning (1993)
The paper presents the results of a prolonged research in a lead-polluted area. Extensive systematic studies of lead concentrations in topsoil, forage, blood, liver, and kidney in cows on farms within 1–10？km around the lead mine and smelter were carried out. After installation of a filter in 1978, lead concentrations began to decrease. However, when toxic levels of lead were within normal reference values, the authorities stopped to finance the project. In 2002, the research was concluded. A review of studies showed that the protective filter was effective; during the period 1975–2002 mean lead in forage dropped from 584.0？±？324.0 to 5.5？±？2.9？mg/kg, and the mean blood lead levels dropped from 1.251？±？0.580 to 0.069？±？0.041？mg/kg. Three years after the filter was installed the amount of lead in the liver and kidneys had normalized. Closely related to our research was also a case of cow lead poisoning. 1. Introduction Lead is a bluish white to gray heavy metal that was probably the first toxic element recognized by man. Lead is ubiquitous in the manmade environment, because of its numerous uses and yet still has great relevance today [1]. Very frequent and potential source of lead content in animal tissues are forage produced on agricultural surface or cattle grazing on pastures contaminated by airborne emissions from nearby smelters [2–5]. Chronic and nonapparent poisoning due to ingesting smaller quantities of lead contaminated forage over a longer period of time is characterized by nonspecific signs which may be expressed as loss of appetite, weight loss, reproduction disorders, anemia, osteoporosis and immunosuppression [6–9]. Environmental pollution in the vicinity of lead-ore processing factories can result in varying degrees of poisoning with lead [2, 10–12]. Cows blood lead levels is a good bioindicator of environmental contamination [2, 7, 13]. Concentration of lead in whole blood and milk resulting from the daily exposure to lead does not produce any clinical evidence of disease [13]. In dead and slaughtered animals lead was usually analyzed in the liver, kidneys, and muscles [13–15]. The contamination of food of animal origin with lead in some areas of Slovenia was presented in amounts higher (>0.500？mg/kg WW) than the levels allowed by national guidelines [16]. One of these areas is the Upper Me？a Valley. From the point of polluted environment and emissions of lead gasses and dust, the valley is ranked into the 4th class of national classification for environmental pollution [17]. It is an area with stationary contamination of upper layers
References
[1]
L. J. Thompson, “Metals and micronutrients, lead,” in Veterinary Toxicology, R. C. Gupta, Ed., chapter 31, pp. 438–441, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2007.
[2]
D. Prpi？-Maji？, Investigation of Lead, Cadmium, and Zinc, in the Me？a River Valley, Institut za medicinska istra？ivanja i medicinu rada, Monografija, Zagreb, Croatia, 1996.
[3]
T. Zadnik, “Lead in topsoil, hay, silage and blood of cows from farms near a former lead mine and current smelting plant before and after installation of filters,” Veterinary and Human Toxicology, vol. 46, no. 5, pp. 287–290, 2004.
[4]
A. L. Aronson, “Outbreaks of plumbism in animals associated with industrial lead operations,” in Toxicity of Heavy Metals in the Environmental, Part 1, F. W. Oehme, Ed., pp. 173–177, Marcel Dekker, New York, NY, USA, 1978.
[5]
R. K. S. Dogra, R. C. Murthy, A. K. Srivastava, J. S. Gaur, L. J. Shukla, and B. M. L. Varmani, “Cattle mortality in the Thane district, India: a study of cause/effect relationships,” Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 292–297, 1996.
[6]
V. Gregorovi？, I. Jazbec, and F. Sku？ek, “Results of clinical and laboratory investigations in cows in Upper Savinja and Me？a Valley,” Znanost in Praksa v Govedoreji, vol. 2, pp. 121–136, 1978.
[7]
O. M. Radostits, C. C. Gay, K. W. Hinchcliff, and P. D. Constable, Veterinary Medicine, Saunders Elsevier, Edinburgh, UK, 2007.
[8]
G. E. Milhaud and S. Mehennaoui, “Indicators of lead, zinc and cadmium exposure in cattle: I. Results in a polluted area,” Veterinary and Human Toxicology, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 513–517, 1988.
[9]
S. de Guise, J. Bernier, P. Lapierre, M. M. Dufresne, P. Dubreuil, and M. Fournier, “Immune function of bovine leukocytes after in vitro exposure to selected heavy metals,” American Journal of Veterinary Research, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 339–344, 2000.
[10]
M. Miranda, M. Lopez Alonso, C. Castillo, J. Hernandez, and J. L. Benedito, “Effect of sex on arsenic, cadmium, lead, copper and zinc accumulation in calves,” Veterinary and Human Toxicology, vol. 42, no. 5, pp. 265–268, 2000.
[11]
A. Villegas-Navarro, O. D. M. E. Bustos, A. R. Reyes, T. A. Dieck, and J. L. Reyes, “Determination of lead in paired samples of blood and synovial fluid of bovines,” Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 47–49, 1993.
[12]
T. Zadnik and I. Jazbec, Twenty Years of Establishing Lead Concentrations in Blood of Cows—An Indicator of Environmental Pollution in the Me？a Valley, Veterinarska fakulteta, Klinika za pre？vekovalce, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1996.
[13]
D. T. Carmichael, R. H. Eckerlin, and G. A. Maylin, “Background lead levels in dairy cattle: updated values for 1986,” Cornell Veterinarian, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 277–281, 1987.
[14]
P. R. Fitzgerald, J. Peterson, and C. Lue-Hing, “Heavy metals in tissues of cattle exposed to sludge-treated pastures for eight years,” American Journal of Veterinary Research, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 703–707, 1985.
[15]
L. Penumarthy, F. W. Oehme, and R. H. Hayes, “Lead, cadmium, and mercury tissue residues in healthy swine, cattle, dogs, and horses from the midwestern United States,” Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 193–206, 1980.
[16]
D. Doganoc, “Tissue contamination in poultry with lead and cadmium in Slovenia,” Zbornik Veterinarske Fakultete, Univerza Ljubljana, vol. 31, no. 1-2, pp. 117–128, 1994.
[17]
D. Plut, Slovenia and Global Environmental Policy. Problem of Heavy Metals in the Upper Me？a Valley, ERICo Velenje, In？titut za Ekolo？ke Raziskave, Velenje, Slovenija, 1999.
[18]
P. Souvent, “Sources of environmental pollution around a lead smelter in Me？ica,” Zdravstveni Vestnik, vol. 47, pp. 245–247, 1978.
[19]
T. Zadnik, “A 25-year long monitoring of lead content in the blood of cows from a stationary polluted area,” International Journal of Environment and Pollution, vol. 31, no. 1-2, pp. 34–41, 2007.
[20]
S. K. Dwivedi, D. Swarup, S. Dey, and R. C. Patra, “Lead poisoning in cattle and buffalo near primary lead-zinc smelter in India,” Veterinary and Human Toxicology, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 93–94, 2001.
[21]
S. Dey, D. Swarup, and S. K. Dwivedi, “Lead levels in blood of cows from an industrial area,” Indian Journal of Toxicology, vol. 4, pp. 61–62, 1997.
[22]
？. Kerin and D. Kerin, “Lead in soil, plants and water in the Me？a Valley,” Zdravstveni Vestnik, vol. 47, pp. 263–267, 1978.
[23]
J. Hr？ak, Emission and transformation of lead aerosols, zinc and cadmium around a lead smelter, Ph.D. thesis, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia, 1987.
[24]
D. Prpic-Majic, J. Pongracic, J. Hrsak, and A. Pizent, “A follow-up study in a lead smelter community following the introduction of an effective pollution control system,” Israel Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 28, no. 8-9, pp. 548–556, 1992.
[25]
V. Karacic, D. Prpic-Majic, and L. Skender, “Lead absorption in cows: biological indicators of ambient lead exposure,” Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 290–294, 1984.
[26]
V. Gregorovi？, I. Jazbec, R. ？retnik, F. Sku？ek, T. Zadnik, and M. Klinkon, “Results of several years monitoring of lead concentration in hay and cows organism in the Me？a Valley,” Veterinarski Glasnik, vol. 41, pp. 99–106, 1987.
[27]
V. Gregorovi？, I. Jazbec, and R. ？retnik, “Dynamics of lead concentrations and cadmium in hay and cows organism in the Me？a Valley,” Geographica Slovenica, vol. 2, pp. 222–226, 1987.
[28]
V. Gregorovi？, I. Jazbec, and F. Sku？ek, “Results of clinical and laboratory investigations in cows in the Upper Savinjska and Me？a Valley,” Znanost in Praksa v Govedoreji, vol. 2, pp. 121–136, 1978.
[29]
T. Zadnik and I. Jazbec, “Lead concentration in blood of dairy cows as an indicator of environmental contamination,” Zbornik Veterinarske Fakultete, Univerza Ljubljana, vol. 33, pp. 211–217, 1996.
[30]
V. Karacic, D. Prpic-Majic, and L. Skender, “Lead absorption in cows: biological indicators of ambient lead exposure,” Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 290–294, 1984.
G. Rosenberger, Krankheiten des Rindes, Parey, Berlin, Germany, 1970.
[33]
Z. Kerin, D. Kerin, and D. Djuri？, “Lead contamination of environment in Me？a valley—lead content of the soil,” Internationales Archiv für Arbeitsmedizin, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 129–138, 1972.
[34]
？. Kerin, Ecological parameters of biosphere contamination with industrial exhalation of lead aerosols in the Me？a Valley, Ph.D. thesis, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1974.
[35]
D. P. Prpic-Majic, V. Karacic, and L. Skender, “A follow-up study of lead absorption in cows as an indicator of environmental lead pollution,” Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 19–24, 1990.
[36]
C. J. Phillips, Principles of Cattle Production, CABI, Oxon, UK, 2001.
[37]
L. H. P. Jones, C. R. Clement, and M. J. Hopper, “Lead uptake from solution by perennial ryegrass and its transport from roots to shoots,” Plant and Soil, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 403–414, 1973.
[38]
J. R. Bacon, I. J. Hewitt, and P. Cooper, “Lead in grass in the Scottish uplands: deposition or uptake?” Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 7, no. 8, pp. 785–791, 2005.
[39]
S. Telisman, D. Prpic-Majic, and A. Kersanc, “Relationships between blood lead and indicators of effect in cows environmentally exposed to lead,” Toxicology Letters, vol. 52, no. 3, pp. 347–356, 1990.
[40]
E. Merian, Metals and Their Compounds in the Environment, VCH Weinheim, New York, NY, USA, 1988.
[41]
J. D. McEvoy and M. McCoy, “Acute lead poisoning in a beef herd associated with contaminated silage,” Veterinary Record, vol. 132, no. 4, pp. 89–90, 1993.
[42]
A. Oskarsson, L. Jorhem, J. Sundberg, N.-G. Nilsson, and L. Albanus, “Lead poisoning in cattle—transfer of lead to milk,” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 111, no. 2-3, pp. 83–94, 1992.
[43]
A. Wijbenga, “Lead poisoning of cattle in North Netherlands: after—effects in two dairy herds,” Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde, vol. 117, pp. 78–81, 1992.
[44]
I. Thornton and P. Abrahams, “Soil ingestion—a major pathway of heavy metals into livestock grazing contaminated land,” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 28, pp. 287–294, 1983.
