Heavy Metal Accumulation in Soil, Forage and Blood Plasma of Horses in Central Punjab, Pakistan
Heavy Metal Accumulation in Soil, Forage and Blood Plasma of Horses in Central Punjab, Pakistan
Ilker Ugulu1*, Zafar Iqbal Khan2, Kafeel Ahmad2, Humayun Bashir2,
Naunain Mehmood3, Asma Zafar2 and Muhammad Sohail2
ABSTRACT
The main purpose of the present study was to determine and evaluate the heavy metals in soil, forage and blood plasma of horses in Central Punjab, Pakistan. Concentrations of metals, cobalt (Co), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) in these samples were determined. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer was used to determine the concentration of metals. The concentrations of all the analysed heavy metals differed significantly with different seasonal periods. The mean Fe, Co, Mn and Se values in blood plasma samples of 4 years (Cohort-8), 3 years (Cohort-9) and 2 years (Cohort-10) cohorts were 1.34, 0.18, 0.026 and 0.019 mg/L; 1.23, 0.17, 0.026 and 0.015 mg/L and 1.19, 0.15, 0.029 and 0.015 mg/L, respectively. No statistically significant changes were observed for heavy metal concentrations in plasma samples of horses according to two sampling seasons. The present results indicated that heavy metals in soil, forage and blood plasma samples were lower than the recommended critical levels except for the Mn accumulation in forage samples.
To share on other social networks, click on any share button. What are these?
