Blanco Penedo, Isabel
- University of Santiago de Compostela
Abstract
Soils developed on serpentine rocks contain high levels of heavy metals such as copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr), and are deficient in some macronutrients. The crops and pasture grown on these soils may accumulate high levels of metals, which constitute a potential health hazard for cattle. The aim of this study was to evaluate Cr, Ni and Cu accumulation in cattle raised in a serpentine area in Southwest Europe (Galicia, NW Spain). Samples of liver, kidney and muscle of 41 animals aged 8-12 months were collected at slaughter. Representative samples of soil and forage were taken from 10 farms. Samples were acid-digested and metal concentrations determined by ICP-MS (Cr and Ni) and ICP-AES (Cu). The concentrations of the metals in soils and forage were in the range of those found in serpentine soils in other areas. Accumulation of Cr in animal tissues was generally low and within the normal range. However, 20% of the animals had toxic levels of Ni in kidney and 32% of the animals had liver Cu levels above the acceptable range. Serpentine soils had a significant effect on Ni and Cu accumulation in cattle, and a relatively high percentage of the animals showed tissue levels of Ni and Cu indicative of risk of toxicity. (C) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Chromium; Nickel; Copper; Cattle; Serpentine soils
Published in
Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
2009, volume: 23, number: 3, pages: 231-238
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Pathobiology
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2009.03.004
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/101321