FOLIA VETERINARIA, 49, 3: -

Supplementum, 531-532, 2005

www.uvm.sk

THE EFFECT OF CADMIUM AND LEAD POLLUTION ON HUMAN AND ANIMAL HEALTH Smirjdkova, S., Ondra5oviCovd, Ka5kov6,A., Laktiiovd, K. O.,
University of Veterinary Medicine, Komenskdho73,041 81 Ko5ice The Slovak Republic

smirjakova@uvm.sk

ABSTRACT Our environment is affected by a great variety of pollutants. What they all have in common is that only their absence can eliminate the respective health risk. Therefore it is very important to recognisethe problems and take appropriate measures early. The health risk arising from environmental contaminants dependson many factors including absorption and toxicity of the substance, level its in food, the quantity of contaminatedfood consumedand duration of exposure. Another complicating factor concerning chemical contaminants is that the toxicity of contaminants must be frequently extrapolated from animal studies. Whether the substances exert the same effect in humansis not always known with absolutecertainty. Food products account for most of the human exposure to cadmium except for areas in the vicinity of cadmiumemitting industries.Cadmium is taken up by roots of plants and passesto edible leaves,fruits and seeds.It will also accumulate in animal milk and fatty tissues.Therefore people are exposedto cadmium upon the consumptlonof cadmium containing plants or animals. All food of animal origin with the exception of milk contains lead in higher concentrationthan in that of plant origin. The amount of lead in food has beenreducedsince1990due to the decline in production of some goods,the use of unleadedfuel, and other environmental protection measures. The mean weekly lead intake is lessthan 70 VooI the toleratedvalue (PTWI) calculatedon the basis of food consumptionand the relevant levels of lead in food.

Key words: cadmium; environmental pollution; food chain; lead

INTRODUCTION Oneof the mostimportantaspects environmental pollution of is that peopletakeup many pollutants throughfood. Animals are a rich source food but also of variouscontaminants. of In orderto preventdangerto humans is necessary eliminate it to or at least minimise intentionallyand systematically the penetration extraneous of matter into feed and the human food chain. This meansthat it is necessary ensurethat a to minimumquantityof extraneous substances pass human can to beingsso their levels cannotaffect their healthor the health of theiroffspring.Oneof the promising waystowards reaching qualitativeandquantitative this goalis continuous determination of residues extraneous of substances individualcomponents in of the environment and their subsequent monitoringin basic food commodities. is also importantto carry out complex It studies dealing with potential elimination these of contaminants and their negativeinfluenceon live organisms.

CADMIUM Cadmiumis a relativelyvolatile elementnot essential to plants,animalsand humans. presence live organisms Its in is unwanted and harmful.An increased level of cadmiumin the air, water and soil increases uptakeby live organisms. its It

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Chemical residues have raised serious problems and risks, which will persist also in the future. The reason for this pessimistic prognosis is the global terrestrial LEAD polycontamination of all ecosystems and components of the environment by human activities and local present trace Leadis a microelement naturally in amounts contamination of production areas with a range of in all biological materials, i.e. in soil, water, plants and animals chemical contaminants.There is an effort to decreaseto (9). It has no physiological function in the organism (7). a minimum or eliminate penetration of the most serious ( 1 ) , t h e m a i n s o u r c e so f l e a d Accordingto Cibulka contaminantsinto the food chain and therefore also into contamination are smelting works, application of wastewater the human body. One of the tools in this struggle is the treatment sludges to soil, transportation, rain, snow, hail and target monitoring of relevant contaminantsin raw materials other. Approximately 98 Voof lead in the atmosphereoriginates and food of animal origin (5).
from human activities. N e u m an n et al. (7) have extended the sourcesof lead pollution by paints, lead wastes, cell batteries, lead solders and forms. Lead is absorbed by plants through roots where most of the lead is also accumulated. In the case of other than root uptake (along roads in urban regions) the content of lead decreasesas follows: above ground part > roots > products (4). Intoxication of animals by lead occurs particularly after grazing on pasture contaminated with lead (10).

is taken up by plants and animals and through them also by humans. This leads to the cadmium cycle soil - plant e t a l . ( 8 ) h a v e s t a t e dt h a t u p t o animal - man. Pavlik 90Vo Cd taken up by plants originates from soil and only l0 Vo from the atmosphere. Uptake of cadmium by plants occurs through roots and leaves. Plants take up cadmium from water only in the form of Cd* ion (after release from the sorption complex or from soil solution). Additional cadmium is transported to roots by diffusion and mass soil flow. Green plants are the starting link of the food chain, which is the principal source of cadmium for animals and humans. Plants convert solar energy to chemical energy and store it in the form oforganic compounds.They also accumulateunwanted including cadmium. Plants are consumed mostly by substances herbivores, which then become a source of food for carnivores. Omnivores consume plant products, herbivores and carnivores. The main port of entry of cadmium to the organism of animals is the digestive tract and alveolar absorption (2).

(higher rate of premature babies), decrease in birth weight and retardation of mental development. Lead intoxication is one of the most frequent diseasesin farm animals, particularly in those grazing on pasture in the vicinity of metallurgic complexes but also close to busy roads. Species specific susceptibility to lead has been described in cattle, particularly the young one. Dairy cows eliminate Pb in milk. Intoxication with mercury results in inappetence, pathological changesin skin and hair and decreasedmilk yield in dairy cows. In animals cadmium causes softening of bones and decreasedproductivity. Cadmium is a typical example of a cumulative poison. Prolonged increased uptake of cadmium interferes with the function ofthe kidneys. Bone tissue is affected too as cadmium disturbs the metabolism of calcium (3).

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

1. Cibulka,J.r1:9{)l: Transfer Lead,Cadmium Mercury of and in the Biosphere(ln Czech). AcademiaPraha,426-427. 2. Friberg, L., 19E6: Handbookon the Toxicologyof Metals. Vol. I: GeneralAspects.Elsevier,Amsterdam. 3. Ginter, E., 1993: Cadmiumas a toxic environmental (In Lead enters the organism with food and air. In children it contaminant Slovak). Proc. Ecologyand Lifu 11,3,14-15. affects most the central nervous system. The toxic effects of 4. Chrenekovfl,8., 1984: Action of Lead in the System lead in the prenatal stage cause a shortening of gravidity Soil - Plant (In Slovak).Acta Fytotechnica, Nitra, VSP. 5. Juri5, P., Rataj, D., Ondra5oviI,M., Sokol.J., Novdk, Vo P,,20022 Hygienicand EcologicalRequirements Recycling on of Organic Wastesin Agriculture (In Slovak), Publ. House M. Va5ko,PreSov, 10-71. 4Vo 6. MelicherCfk,M., Melicherlikov6, D., 1997:Bioinorganic Chemistry:ChemicalElementsand Human Organism 2Vo (In Slovak).Prlroda Bratislava,188 pp. 7. Neumann, J., Lopuchovskf, f., Zapletal, O., 1990: Chemis ation, Agriculture, Pharmac gy and Toxicolo (ln gy olo Czech)(lst edn.).SZN Praha,304 pp. 75 Vo 8. Pavlik, Y., 1997:EcologicalProblemsin Industrially Inrtalqgi ExposedEast SlovakianRegionsin Relation to Agriculture I conhrsticn coal,pefiolad \roodin power of irdustryandhcuseholds (In Slovak).VtjZV Nitra. 9. Strmiskovfi, G., 19922Lead in the environment and Iproduiorof oenrnt food (In Slovak).Nutition and Health,3'7, 19-20. tr uansputation ll.Leleznik, J., 1994l.Occurrence of Heavy Metals in (In proportionof principalsources Fig. 1. Percentage Smoked MeatProducts Slovak).Atestation Thesis, Institute of (6) environmental lead contamination for Educationof VeterinarySurgeons Ko5ice,46 pp.

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