Element and polychlorinated biphenyl deposition and effects in sheep fed cabbage grown on municipal sewage sludge

Sheep were fed a diet containing 30 per cent (dry weight) cabbage which had been grown on municipal sewage sludge from Syracuse, NY for 77 days. Slight increases were found in the concnetration of nickel in kidney, copper in liver and cadmium in certain animal organs as compared to those in sheep fed a control ration containing cabbage grown on soil. Polychlorinated biphenyls were also found at higher levels in the sludge-grown cabbage and in the livers of the respectively fed sheep as compared to controls. An increase in liver weight, proliferation of hepatic smooth endoplasmic reticulum and various degenerative changes were noted in the livers of the sheep fed the sludge-grown cabbage ration as compared to the controls.