DRINKING-WATER CONTAMINANTS (ARSENIC, CADMIUM, LEAD, BENZENE, AND TRICHLOROETHYLENE) .1. INTERACTION OF CONTAMINANTS WITH NUTRITIONAL-STATUS ON GENERAL PERFORMANCE AND IMMUNE FUNCTION IN BROILER-CHICKENS

The objective of this study was to examine possible interactions betwe en drinking water contaminants and suboptimal nutritional status for p erformance and immune function in male broiler chickens. Experimental drinking water contained a mixture of arsenic, benzene, cadmium, lead, and trichloroethylene (TCE) at low concentrations (0.80, 1.3, 5.0, 6. 7, and 0.65 ppm) and high concentrations (8.6, 13, 50, 67, and 6.5 ppm ). These chemicals were selected because they are among the most commo n contaminants found in ground water near hazardous waste sites. The e xperimental diets included feed containing 50% added vitamins and mine rals (V&M) and feed without added V&M. Increasing levels of drinking w ater contaminants and decreasing levels of V&M in diet resulted in sig nificantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) decreased water and feed int ake, decreased weight gain, and suppression of natural, humoral, and c ell-mediated immune response. In a paired-water study, feed consumptio n, body weight, and immune function were decreased in chickens provide d low and high concentrations of the chemical mixture in drinking wate r compared with chickens given control drinking water equal to the vol umes consumed by the chickens given the low and high concentration of mixture, respectively. A deficiency of dietary V&M caused increased se nsitivity to adverse effects of drinking water contaminants.