Cadmium (Cd) and Copper (Cu) Exposure and Bioaccumulation Arrays in Farm Ruminants: Impact of Forage Ecotypes, Ecological Sites and Body Organs

Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain (), Majida Naeem, Zafar Iqbal Khan, Shahzad Akhtar, Muhammad Nadeem, Maha Abdallah Alnuwaiser, Kafeel Ahmad, Oscar Vicente and Hsi-Hsien Yang ()
Additional contact information
Muhammad Iftikhar Hussain: Department of Plant Biology & Soil Science, Universidad de Vigo, Campus Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Majida Naeem: Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan
Zafar Iqbal Khan: Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan
Shahzad Akhtar: Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan
Muhammad Nadeem: Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan
Maha Abdallah Alnuwaiser: Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Kafeel Ahmad: Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan
Oscar Vicente: Institute for the Conservation and Improvement of Valencian Agrodiversity (COMAV, UPV), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Hsi-Hsien Yang: Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, Chaoyang University of Technology, No. 168, Jifeng E. Rd., Wufeng District, Taichung 413310, Taiwan

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-14

Abstract: Copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) metal distribution in soil–plant ecosystems and their public health risk impact on ruminants (cows, buffalo, and sheep) are explored in the present investigation. Five different forage crops were selected, and the foraging responses of three types of ruminants (cows, buffalo, and sheep) at three ecological sites were evaluated. The soil of these three ecological sites was metal polluted (due to wastewater irrigation) and was studied to evaluate the metal contamination and pollution load index. For the assessment of Cd and Cu, soil, vegetation, blood, hair, and feces samples were collected and analysed using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. High consumption of fodder crops ( Sorghum bicolor Kuntze, Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. Wight, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Suaeda fruticosa (L.) Forssk., and Tribulus terrestris L.) by cows and buffalo at site-III resulted in an increase in daily Cu and Cd intake. The pollution load index was higher at site-II and site-III, indicating a severe health risk scenario for local inhabitants. Cd and Cu were at their maximum levels in fodder crops. A significant increase in the concentrations of Cd and Cu was found in the blood, hair, and feces of cows and buffalo at site-III. Ecological indicators such as the bioaccumulation factor, the pollution load index, and the enrichment factor were found to be higher in buffalo than cows. The Cd level in forages was highest at the site-III Cd level and in the order of S. bispinosa > S. fruticosa > T. terresteris > C. dactylon > S. bicolor . Although these levels were lower than the permissible maximum limit, they were generally higher in the forage crops. Exposure of local inhabitants to the consumption of milk and meat from these cattle showed the serious health risks consequences. This situation can be properly managed by general monitoring of soil and vegetation pollution, avoiding metal contamination in the soil and food chain components, and using treated waste water and other alternate water sources for forage irrigation.

Keywords: heavy metals; ecological toxicity; pollution; human health risk; effluents; livestock (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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