Cadmium, Lead and Zinc in the Soil-Plant-Alpaca System and Potential Health Risk Assessment Associated with the Intake of Alpaca Meat in Huancavelica, Peru

Edith Orellana,Lilia Pérez,Wilfredo Bulege-Gutierrez,Walter Cuadrado,Luz Yallico-Madge,Maria Custodio

doi:10.12911/22998993/132175

Abstract

The consumption of contaminated natural pastures with highly dangerous and toxic heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) by Andean camelids could cause harmful effects on the health of people exposed via consumption of contaminated alpaca meat. The concentration of Cd, Pb and Zn in the soil-plant-alpaca system was determined and the potential health risk associated with the intake of alpaca meat was evaluated. Soil and grass samples were collected in grazing areas of the South American camelid, and in the Municipal Slaughterhouse of Huancavelica, 30 samples of alpaca pectoral muscle were collected. The concentrations of Cd in the soil, grass and alpaca muscle exceeded the threshold values of national and international standards. Bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values of the three elements studied was less than 1, Cd was the element with the highest bioavailability and mobility in the soil-plant-alpaca muscle system. The mean concentration of Cd in muscle was 0.335 ± 0.088 mg/kg which exceeded the maximum level allowed by the FAO/WHO and the European Commission, the concentration of Pb and Zn did not exceed the regulated limits. No significant differences were detected in accumulation according to sex. The non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI) values for the studied metals indicated that there is no adverse health risk (HI <1) for children and adults from alpaca meat intake, but they could experience carcinogenic risk (CR) from prolonged exposure to Cd, and for exceeding the 1x10-4 limit threshold. It is recommended to conduct further studies on the accumulation of potentially toxic elements in alpaca tissues in order to determine the possible total risk of heavy metals in consumer’s health.

Highlights

The results found were compared with studies of heavy metals found in sheep, cow, buffalo, and camel meat, these were similar to those reported by Khalafalla et al [2015] in Egypt with Cd concentrations that ranged from 0.2 to 0.9 ppm respectively
The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) value of the three elements studied was less than 1, Cd was the element with the highest bioavailability and mobility from soil to plant
The estimated daily intake was below the tolerable provisional daily intakes (PTDI)

Summary

Introduction

Contamination and accumulation of heavy metals is a serious problem for the environment and human health worldwide [Hu et al 2017, Ogbomida et al 2018] due to its toxicity, dangerousness, persistence and non-biodegradable nature and high potential to enter and accumulate in the food chain [Hu et al 2017, Abah et al 2017, Asli et al 2019, Chen et al 2015, Islam et al 2018, Stankovic et al 2014]. Heavy metals are released into the environment by natural and anthropogenic sources [Lü et al 2018, Wang et al 2018] can enter soil, water and air, bioaccumulate in food webs, to contaminate the food chain and negatively affect the wildlife and human health [Gall et al 2015, Ali and Khan 2018, Ali et al 2019] Metals such as Pb and Cd are highly toxic, their presence in the environment even as traces can cause serious problems in the health of animals and plants [Jadia and Fulekar 2009]. The intake of forage and water with contaminants causes the accumulation of toxic elements in meat and in organs such as the liver and kidney of animals [Felix et al 2016] and is the most likely route of human exposure to metals compared to other forms of exposure such as inhalation and dermal contact [Bortey-Sam et al 2015, Hembrom et al 2020]

Methods

Results

Conclusion