EFFECTS ON ENZYMES AND THE GENETIC APPARATUS OF SHEEP AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF SAMPLES FROM INDUSTRIAL EMISSIONS

In the present work the influence of tbe administration of industrial emissions from a zinc and copper plant on aspartate aminotransferase ( AST), alanine aminotransferase, gammaglutamyl transferase, creatine ph osphokinase (CK), total bilirubin, serum zinc, levels and the genetic apparatus was studied on seven ewes. Each animal was given a dose of 3 1.99 g of emissions per day. The first and the last animals died of zi nc intoxication on days 42 and 58, respectively. Significantly increas ed zincemia could be observed from day 8 of the experiment (P < 0.01). In the enzymes under investigation, the most pronounced effects of th e emission were seen in AST and CK activities. In comparison with the starting levels, AST values revealed significant differences on days 3 7 and 58 (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively), and CK on day 58 (P < 0.01). Significantly increased bilirubinemia (P < 0.01) could be obser ved from day 8 of the experiment. In the period prior to the first gav age of emission and day 30 of administration no significant increase o f chromosome breaks per cell was observed in the experimental sheep. T he genotoxic effect of the emission was also stated on the basis of re combination frequency visualized by means of the sister chromatid exch ange test; on day 30, the increase of these disturbances revealed stat istical significance (P ( 0.01).