22Apr 2017

LEAD, CADMIUM AND MERCURY RESIDUES IN THE EDIBLE OFFAL OF SHEEP AND GOAT WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

  • Food Control Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
  • Eductaional Veterinary Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansura University, Mansura, Egypt.
  • Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
Crossref Cited-by Linking logo
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • References
  • Cite This Article as
  • Corresponding Author

The contamination of the environment with heavy metals is a serious problem worldwide, particularly in Egypt. Heavy metals get their way into human body mainly through ingestion of contaminated food. Animals, especially small ruminants are exposed during their lifetime to a vast array of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury. The objective of this study was to estimate heavy metal (lead, cadmium and mercury) residues in the edible offal (liver, kidney, lung, tongue and masseter muscle) of sheep and goat collected from butcher shops at Zagazig city, Egypt. The public health implications of the tested metals were also discussed. In addition, a trial for reduction of the metal load in the livers of the sheep was done using immersion in acetic acid 2% and heat treatments. The obtained results declared that sheep samples had significantly higher metal concentrations than goat. Liver and kidney had the highest residual concentrations compared with other examined offal. Concentrations of lead and cadmium in the liver and kidney exceeded the maximum residual limits of these metals set by WHO. Thus, it is advisable to reduce our daily intake of the offal of these animals. Furthermore, a combination of immersing the liver samples in acetic acid 2% for 15 min followed by either boiling or frying is effective for reduction of the metal load especially in the case of mercury.

  1. Abou-Arab, A. A. K. (2001): Heavy metal contents in Egyptian meats and role of detergent washing on their levels. Food Chem. Toxicol., 39: 593-599.
  2. Ajumobi, O. O., Tsofo, A., Yango, M., Aworh, M. K., Anagbogu, I. N., Mohammed, A., Umar-Tsafe, N., Mohammed, S., Abdullahi, M., Davis, L., Idris, S., Poggensee, G., Nguku, P., Gitta, S. and Nsubuga, P. (2014): High concentration of blood lead levels among young children in Bagega community, Zamfara - Nigeria and the potential risk factor. Afr. Med. J. 18: 1-14.
  3. Akan, J.C., Abdulrahman, F.I., Sodipo, O.A., Chiroma, Y.A. (2010): Distribution of Heavy Metals in the Liver, Kidney and Meat of Beef, Mutton, Caprine and Chicken from Kasuwan Shanu Market in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria. Res J App Sci, Engin and Tech; 2(8), 743-748.
  4. Akoto, O., Bortey-Sam, N., Nakayama, S.M.M., Ikenaka, Y., Baidoo, E., Yohannes, Y.B., Mizukawa, H. and Ishizuka, M. (2014): Distribution of Heavy Metals in Organs of Sheep and Goat Reared in Obuasi: A Gold Mining Town in Ghana. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Toxic. Res. Vol. 2(2):81-89
  5. Atta, M. B., Sabaie, L. A., Noaman, M. A. and Kassab, H. E. (1997): The effect of cooking on the concentration of heavy metals in fish (Tilapia nilotica). Food Chem., 58, 1?4.
  6. Caggiano, R., Sabia, S., D?Emilio, M., Macchiato, M., Anastasio, A., Ragosta, M. and Paino, S. (2005): Metal levels in fodder, milk, dairy products, and tissues sampled in ovine farm of Southern Italy. Environ Res 99:48?57. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2004.11.002
  7. Darwish, W. S., Hussein, M. A., El-Desoky, K. I., Ikenaka, Y., Nakayama, S., Mizukawa, H. and Ishizuka, M. (2015): Incidence and public health risk assessment of toxic metal residues (cadmium and lead) in Egyptian cattle and sheep meats. Int. Food Res. J., 22(4):1719-1726.
  8. Darwish, W.S., Ikenaka, Y. and Ishizuka M. (2013): Biological responses of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes to lead exposure in cultured H4IIE rat cells. J VET. RES. (61): S48-S53
  9. Darwish,S., Ikenaka, Y., Nakayama, S.M., Mizukawa, H. and Ishizuka, M. (2016): Constitutive Effects of Lead on Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Gene Battery and Protection by β-carotene and Ascorbic Acid in Human HepG2 Cells. J Food Sci. 81(1):T275-81. doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.13162.
  10. Ersoy, B., Yanar, Y., Kucukgulmez, A. and Celik M. (2006): Effects of four cooking methods on the heavy metal concentrations of sea bass fillets (Dicentrarchus labrax Linne, 1780). Food Chem. 99, 748-751.
  11. Europian Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2009): Cadmium in food. The EFSA Journal. 980, 1-139 http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/contam_op_ej980_cadmium_en_rev.1.pdf
  12. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2012): Scientific Opinion on the risk for public health related to the presence of mercury and methylmercury in food. The EFSA Journal. 10(12)2985. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2985/epdf
  13. (2003): Nutrition Country Profiles ? EGYPT. FAO, Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/aq037e/aq037e.pdf
  14. Food and Agricultural Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) (2002): Human exposure to mercury in fish in mining areas in the Philippines. FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators Marrakech, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002.
  15. Finerty, M. W., Madden, D., Feagly, E. and Orodner, M. 1990. Effect of environment and seasonality on metal residues in tissues of wild and pondraised cray fish in southern Louisiana. Arch Environ Con Tox 19: 94-99.
  16. Husain, A., Al-Rashdan, A., Al-Awadhi, A., Mahgoub, B. and Al-Amiri, H. (1996): Toxic metals in food products originating from locally reared animals in Kuwait. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol; 57, pp. 549-555.
  17. Jarup, L. (2003): Hazards of heavy metal contamination. Brit Med. Bull 68: 167?182.
  18. Liu, Z.P. (2003): Lead poisoning combined with cadmium in sheep and horses in the vicinity of non ferrous metal smelters. Sci Total Environ; 309, pp. 117-126.
  19. Mariam, I., Iqbal, S., Nagra, S.A. (2004): Distribution of some trace and macro minerals in beef, mutton and poultry. Int. J. Agric. Biol.; 6: pp. 816-820.
  20. See comment in PubMed Commons belowMin, K. B., Lee, K. J., Park, J. B. and Min, J. Y. (2012): Lead and cadmium levels and balance and vestibular dysfunction among adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004. Health Persp. 120: 413-417.See comment in PubMed Commons below
  21. Oyaro, N., Ogendi, J., Murago, E.N.M. and Gitonga, E. (2007): The contents of Pb, Cu, Zn and Cd in Nairobi, Kenya. J Food Agric Environ; 5(3-4), pp. 119-121.
  22. Perell?, G., Mart?-Cid, R., Llobet, J.M. and Domingo, J.L. (2008): Effects?of various?cooking?processes?on the?concentrations?of?arsenic,?cadmium,?mercury, and?lead?in?foods. J Agric?Food?Chem. 10; 56(23):11262-9. doi: 10.1021/jf802411q.
  23. Pitot, H. C. and Dragan, P. (1995): The instability of tumor promotion in relation to human cancer risk. Clin.Biol Res., 391: 21-38.
  24. Swaileh, K.M., Abdulkhaliq, A., Hussein, R.M. and Matani, M. (2009): Distribution of toxic metals in organs of local cattle, sheep, goat and poultry from the West Bank, Palestinian Authority Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 83(2) pp. 265.
  25. US EPA (1989): Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund, Vol 1. EPA/540/1-89/002. Office of Emergency and Remedial Response, US EPA, Washington, DC.
  26. US EPA (2010): Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Cadmium (CASRN-7440-43-9) http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0141.htm
  27. (2003): Safety evaluation of certain food additives and contaminants. WHO Food Additive Series 52. Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives. World Health Organization.
  28. See comment in PubMed Commons belowXu, J., Sheng, L., Yan, Z. and Hong, L. (2014): Blood Lead and Cadmium Levels of Children: A Case Study in Changchun, Jilin Province, China. West Indian Med.J., 63: 29-33.
  29. Yabe, J., Ishizuka, M. and Umemura, T. (2010): Current levels of heavy metal pollution in Africa. Vet. Med. Sci.,?72: 1257-1263.
  30. See comment in PubMed Commons belowYabe, J., Nakayama, S. M., Ikenaka, Y., Yohannes, Y. B., Bortey-Sam, N., Oroszlany, B., Muzandu, K., Choongo, K., Kabalo, A. N., Ntapisha, J., Mweene, A., Umemura, T. and Ishizuka, M. (2014): Lead poisoning in children from townships in the vicinity of a lead-zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia. 119C: 941-947.
  31. Zheng, N., Wang, Q., Zhang, X., Zheng, D., Zhang, Z. and Zhang, S. (2007): Population health risk due to dietary intake of heavy metals in the industrial area of Huludao city, China. Sci Total Environ; 387, pp. 96- 104.
  32. Yu, B., Wang, Y. and Zhou, Q. (2014): Human health risk assessment based on toxicity characteristic leaching procedure and simple bioaccessibility extraction test of toxic metals in urban street dust of Tianjin, China. PLoS One 9: e92459.

[Wageh Sobhy Darwish, Tamer Mohamed Gad and Tamer Said Imam (2017); LEAD, CADMIUM AND MERCURY RESIDUES IN THE EDIBLE OFFAL OF SHEEP AND GOAT WITH A SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THEIR PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS Int. J. of Adv. Res. 5 (Apr). 189-199] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com

Dr.Tamer Said Imam
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/3795      
DOI URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/3795

Download Full Paper

Download PDF No. of Downloads: 37 | No. of Views: 119