Clinical, chemical, and hematological parameters in cattle kept in a cadmium-contaminated area

Abstract

In cattle exposure to cadmium may effect various clinical abnormalities such as loss of appetite, anemia, poor growth, abortions and teratogenic lesions or may pass without clinical abnormalities. Considerably less is known about the effects of chronic exposure to low levels of cadmium on clinical, chemical and hematological parameters. With respect to the way cattle can ingest cadmium from the environment, a relationship was demonstrated between cadmium content of the organs and soil cadmium content. This demonstration that, raising roughage on cadmium contaminated soil or in fields treated with cadmium containing fertilizers like sewage sludge can lead to accumulation of cadmium in the cattle in question. This study aims to investigate whether a low, chronic exposure to cadmium effects changes in some hematological, clinical and chemical parameters in cattle.