Content fo copper, zinc, lead, cadmium and mercury in muscle, liver and kidney of Finnish cattle

Ruth Stabel-Taucher,Esko Nurmi,Eeva Karppanen

doi:10.23986/afsci.71858

Abstract

A total of 120 normal slaughter cows were analyzed with respect to Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Hg in muscle, liver and kidney. The cows orginated from 6 different slaughter-houses throughout the country. Imported cow livers, represented by 10 samples from Australia, 10 from Poland and 15 from Ireland, were also analyzed for comparison with the Finnish material. The Cu content in the Finnish animals turned out to be relatively low. The imported samples had even lower contents. There seemed to be no correlation between the Cu contents in muscle, liver and kidney. Statistical tests established that the mean Cu content in livers from Oulu was significantly higher than most of the others at the 5 % level. The Zn determinations revealed the highest amounts in the muscle. No correlation between the contents in muscle, liver and kidney was shown. The animals from Seinäjoki had the highest Zn contents, significantly different from most of the others. The imported livers did not differ much from the domestic ones as regards Zn content. The same was true for the Pb content. The correlation coefficients of Pb in muscle, liver and kidney were low. The animals from Kouvola contained the highest amounts of Pb, and the mean Pb content of these animals’ kidneys was significantly different from all the others. The Cd content was highest in the animals from Turku. A good correlation was observed between the Cd contents in liver and kidney. The Cd content of the imported livers was of the same order as that of the Finnish ones. No correlation was found between the Zn, Pb and Cd contents. The amounts of Hg in Finnish cattle were very low, especially so in animals from the North of Finland. The Hg content of the imported samples was of the same order as the figures recorded from the South of Finland.

Highlights

In the group of heavy metals we primarily find the essential metals that are needed in well balanced amounts for the optimal development of man, animal and plants
Among these elements are counted iron, cobalt, copper, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc. Several of these essential metals may have a poisonous effect when consumed in too high amounts (Ringena 1971, Tolle et al 1973)
In the last years most of the attention has been directed towards the elements lead, cadmium and mercury

Summary

Introduction

In the group of heavy metals we primarily find the essential metals that are needed in well balanced amounts for the optimal development of man, animal and plants. Among these elements are counted iron, cobalt, copper, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and zinc. In the last years most of the attention has been directed towards the elements lead, cadmium and mercury These elements are not considered to be essential, and are the origin of many incidents of poisoning 1974, Chrisholm 1971, Clarkson 1972) They have existed in our environment since ancient times, but with the industrialization a shifting in the pattern of occurrence has found place. In the last few years many publications from various countries have appeared giving information about the content of heavy metals in foods. (Hecht 1973, Kirkpatrick and Coffin 1973, Schelenz and Diehl 1973, Beckman et al 1974, and Bramsö et ai. 1974)

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Conclusion