title: Concentrations of selected trace elements in organs and tissues of livestock from a polluted area.
abstract: The occurrence of cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) from industrial emissions were determined in the muscle and liver of cattle from agricultural farms near an industrial plant in Eastern Slovakia. In this study cows (n = 25) were slaughtered and the concentrations of Cd, Ni, Pb were analyzed with a the atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Levels reaching the highest permissible hygiene limits for toxic metals Cd, Pb and Ni were determined in 50 samples. The maximum levels of Cd, Pb and Ni were recorded in the liver (0.865; 2.324; 1.140 mg/kg, respectively) and muscle (0.300; 0.854; 0.700 mg/kg, respectively). It was concluded that the exposure to an industrial plant significantly increases the levels of contaminants in the muscle and organs of cattle, as the most susceptible livestock.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition, Dietetics and Breeding, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Kosice, Slovak Republic. skalicka@uvm.sk
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skalicka
authors.forename: Beata
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Korenekova
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D057230:Limit of Detection; D058751:Livestock; D018154:Slovakia; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements