ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Lead Toxicity Evaluation in Rams Grazing on Pasture during Autumn and Winter: A Case Study
Zafar Iqbal Khan1, Muhammad Ashraf2,3, Kafeel Ahmad1, Alireza Bayat4, Muhammad Khalid Mukhtar1, Syed Ali Hassan Naqvi1, Rab Nawaz1, Mian Jahan Zaib1, Muneeba Shaheen1
 
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1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
2Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
3Department of Botany and Microbiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
4Animal Production Research, MTT Agrifood Research Finland, FI-31600, Jokioinen, Finland
 
 
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2012;21(5):1257-1260
 
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ABSTRACT
A study was conducted to appraise the levels of lead (Pb) in soils, pastures, and plasma of 20 rams raised in a farm alleged to have metal contamination. Samples of soil, pasture, and ram blood were taken four times with a one-month interval during autumn and winter, from October to January, and analyzed for Pb by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Considerable statistically significant differences were found in soil, pasture, and plasma Pb contents as a function of sampling time. The mean Pb values in soil ranged from 17.9 to 28.8 mg/kg, in forage from 9.92 to 16.4 mg/kg, and in plasma from 0.058 to 0.086 mg/l with a steady dwindle with sampling times. Forage Pb concentrations found in the present study were higher than the decisive Pb level for animals, but lower than the toxic limits for forage, signifying no anticipation of toxicity present in rams grazing therein. A significant positive correlation also was found between soil and forage and between forage and blood plasma Pb during this study. Overall, soil, forage, and rams contained tolerable amounts of Pb, so there is no risk of Pb toxicity presently to the rams being reared at the animal farm under study.
eISSN:2083-5906
ISSN:1230-1485
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