Studies on the environmental pollution with lead and cadmium and its effects on Egyptian buffaloes in Sharkia governorate

Abstract EN

Environmental pollution with lead and cadmium are considered to be one of the most dangerious problem affecting both productive and reproductive capacity of dairy buffaloes in Sharkia Governorate.

In our study a total number of 80 dairy buffaloes aged From 4 - 10 years collected from a private dairy Farms for milk production in Zagazig area.

These Farms was located adjacent to heavy traffic roads, numerous Fired brick factories, coal combustion, Soap and oil Company in addition to the presence of a public reservoir which used as a water supply for these animals and cultivated plants.

Diseased buffaloes showed clinical signs of chronic lead and cadmium poisoning including, recurrent fetid diarrhoea, depraved appetite, dullness, dryness of the coat decreased body weight and milk production and body temperature within normal ranges.

Other 10 dairy buffaloes proved to be clinically healthy and located in a clear zone of desert area away from pollution and served as control group.

Water, soil and feedstuffs samples were collected for estimation of lead and cadmium residues which revealed a highly significant increase than the recommended permissible limit (WHO, 1995).

From each diseased and healthy buffaloes, blood, serum and milk samples were colleted.

The first blood samples for complete haematological picture which recorded microcytic hypochromic anaemia, represented by a significant decrease of red blood cells count, haemoglobin content , packed cell volume % and leucocytosis.

Serum biochemical analysis revealed a significant increase of lead and cadmium, Zinc, iron, urea, creatinine and some liver enzymes of S.

AST, S.

ALT and S.

AP enzymes, while there was a highly significant decrease of serum copper, glucose , Calcium, inorganic phosphorous, serum total protein and albumin in diseased buffaloes when compared with control ones.

Furthermore, milk samples showed a highly significant increase of lead and cadmium residues in all the exmmed samples when compared with the control and the permissible limits of WHO (1995) and Egyptian Organization for Standadization and Quality Control “E.

O.S.

O.C.” From the obtained results, lead and cadmium concentration highly increased in sources of pollution (water, soil, feedstuffs) and consequently in blood, resulting in increased lead and cadmium levels in excreted milk, which becames unsuitable for human consumption.