EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO CADMIUM ON STATE OF HEALTH AND CUMULATION IN TISSUES OF CALVES

Effects of environmental conditions and long-term administration of lo w doses of cadmium on state of health and cumulation in tissues of cal ves were investigated. A set of 18 calves, kept in an ecologically fav ourable area, was divided into 3 groups (Groups I-E1 and I-E2 received 1 mg and 2 mg cadmium per animal per day, respectively, Group I-C wer e controls). Cadmium was administered orally as a cadmium chloride sol ution for 92 days. Another set of 16 calves, kept in an industrial are a, was divided in two groups (Group II-E received 1 mg cadmium per ani mal per day, Group II-C were controls). Cadmium was administered as gi ven above for 106 days. Three calves of each group (only two calves of Group II-C) were slaughtered at the end of the administration period and hepatic, renal, myocardial, diaphragmatic, skeletal muscular, smal l intestinal, pancreatic, and testicular samples were collected for th e determination of cadmium using the ETA AAS method. Blood samples wer e also collected during the experiment for the determination of metabo lic profiles (total proteins, urea, glucose, aspartate amino transfera se [AST], and gamma glutamyl transferase [GGT]). The administration of cadmium had no effect on metabolic profiles. The only observed change was a non-significant increase in AST activity in the exposed calves. The following mean concentrations of cadmium (+/-SD), expressed in mu g . kg(-1) fresh tissue, were found in the groups I-C, I-E1, I-E2, II -C and II-E: kidney 35.2 + /- 7.8, 326.0 +/- 114.5, 385.7 +/- 61.4, 12 9.4 +/- 6.8, and 1618.7 +/- 393.2, respectively; liver 16.5 +/- 5.6, 1 13.5 +/- 53.8, 138.4 +/- 32.6, 28.3 +/- 6.4, and 465.3 +/- 141.5, resp ectively; pancreas 2.6 +/- 0.3, 13.8 +/- 3.6, 20.5 +/- 6.6, 8.0 +/- 0. 3, and 57.1 +/- 16.5, respectively; testicle 3.4 +/- 0.6, 8.9 +/- 2.4, 6.8 +/- 0.6, 2.9 +/- 1.4, and 27.2 +/- 0.7, respectively; small intes tine 6.1 +/- 1.6, 15.1 +/- 9.5, 31.6 +/- 22.8, 3.8 +/- 3.3, and 17.7 /- 6.1, respectively; myocardium 0.6 +/- 0.1, 1.7 +/- 1.0, 2.8 +/- 0.4 , 0.9 +/- 0.1, and 4.6 +/- 0.2, respectively; diaphragm 0.3 + 0.2, 2.1 +/- 0.7, 3.9 +/- 0.9, 2.4 +/- 1.4, and 3.5 +/- 0.1,respectively; skel etal muscle 0.7 + 0.2, 2.1 +/- 1.0, 2.4 +/- 1.0, 1.1 +/- 0.2, and 3.2 +/- 1.9, respectively. The differences in hepatic, renal, pancreatic a nd testicular concentrations between the experimental and the appropri ate control groups were significant. Except for the small intestine, t he tissue concentrations of cadmium were influenced by environmental c onditions apparently more than by the administration of cadmium. Chron ic exposure to low doses of cadmium had no adverse effect on the state of health.