Toxic Effects of Heavy Metals on Health and Productivity of Livestock In Little Akaki River Catchment, Central Ethiopia
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Date
2023
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Contaminated water and feed are the main causes of heavy metal poisoning in livestock. Heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) enter the food chain and can bioaccumulate in the body, leading to chronic toxicity in livestock. In Ethiopia, investigations showed the concentrations of heavy metals in water, soil and vegetables were very high, however, there have been hardly any studies on animals so far. From December 2022 to June 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the toxic effect of heavy metals on the health of livestock in the little Akaki River catchment. Heavy metals from water and blood were analysed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) and toxicity levels in livestock were assessed using haematological and biochemical measurements. The result was presented as the mean ±SD, and statistical association was determined at P≤0.05. From analysis of water sample, the concentration (mg/L) of Cr, Cd, Pb and Zn were obtained to be 0.009–0.05, 0.003-0.009, 0.09–0.29, and 0.029–0.94 respectively. Cd and Pb were found to be above the permissible limit (Cd= 0.003 and Pb = 0.015) set by FAO/WHO for livestock drinking. From analysis of blood samples the concentrations (mg/L) of Cr, Cd, and Pb were higher in villages 1 and 2 as compared to village 3, which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean concentration (mg/L) of Cd (0.009 in Village-1 and 0.0083 in Village-2) and the mean concentration (mg/L) of lead (0.16 in Village-1 and 0.154 in Village-2) exceeded the minimum allowable limit of 0.007 mg/L for cadmium and 0.02 mg/L for lead. The duration of exposure to heavy metals had a significant impact on its bioaccumulation in the blood (p<0.05). In addition, haematological and biochemical parameters such as packed cell volume, haemoglobin, white blood cell count, urea, total protein, and albumin were significantly (P<0.05) decreased in Village-1 and Village-2, while alkaline phosphate and aspartate and neutrophil counts were significantly increased in Village-1 and Village-2 compared to Village-3. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the toxic effects of heavy metal on the livestock health exposed to the Little Akaki River.
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Keywords
Concentration, Heavy metals, Livestock, Little akaki river, Toxicity