The transfer of 73As, 109Cd and 203Hg to the milk and tissues of dairy cattle

Crout, N.M.J.; Beresford, N.A.; Dawson, J.M.; Soar, J.; Mayes, R.W.. 2004 The transfer of 73As, 109Cd and 203Hg to the milk and tissues of dairy cattle. The Journal of Agricultural Science, 142 (2). 203-212. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859604004186

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract/Summary

By a variety of exposure routes it is possible that the toxic heavy metals cadmium, arsenic and mercury could enter the diet of farm animals and hence contaminate food products derived from those animals. Therefore, there is a need to be able to assess the likely levels of contamination in animal tissues if exposed to contaminated feed and also to estimate how rapidly an animal will decontaminate once the source of contamination is removed from the feed. The development of dynamic models to predict changes in the degree of heavy metal contamination in tissues of ruminants have been hindered by the lack of data on the transfer and excretion rates of these metals from tissues. A study is described during which dairy cows were given a single intraruminal administration of 109Cd, 73As and 203Hg and measurements made of the subsequent concentrations of the radioisotopes in body tissues and milk. The resultant data were used to adapt previously developed compartment models describing the behaviour of the metals in sheep for use with dairy cows. Two changes were made to the sheep models: (i) a new excretion route was included to describe transfer to milk;(ii) the rate coefficients(with the exception of those involving gut absorption and transfer) were adjusted according to the ratio of the metabolic live-weights (live-weight (kg)0.75) of the sheep to that of the cattle. The models predicted levels of the metals in the cattle tissues and milk reasonably well.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859604004186
Programmes:	CEH Programmes pre-2009 publications > Biogeochemistry > SE01B Sustainable Monitoring, Risk Assessment and Management of Chemicals > SE01.4 Monitoring and predicting the distribution of chemicals in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	_ Environmental Chemistry & Pollution
ISSN:	0021-8596
Additional Keywords:	radioecology
NORA Subject Terms:	Ecology and Environment
Date made live:	25 Apr 2012 09:07 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/17730

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...