Multielement concentrations in liver and kidney tissues from five species of Canadian slaughter animals

The present paper describes results of a national survey conducted between 1982 and 1989 to determine residues of arsenic, cadmium, copper, mercury, lead, selenium, and zinc in Canadian slaughter animals. Liver and kidney tissues from cattle, swine, poultry, horses, calves, and sheep were tested. Arsenic was found in most avian and porcine samples, and their respective means of 0.36 and 0.26 micrograms/g in liver were 7 to 12 times higher than mean concentrations found in the other species. Cadmium was found in the tissues of all species; however, levels were consistently highest in equine samples with mean values of 3.09 and 27.7 micrograms/g in liver and kidney, respectively. Copper levels greater than 150 micrograms/g were found predominantly in liver from calves and sheep, with values considerably lower in the remaining species. Mercury levels were low or not detected in all species except horses. Ninety % of equine kidneys and 54% of equine livers had mercury concentrations greater than 0.01 microgram/g, with mean values of 0.18 and 0.06 microgram/g, respectively. Lead was found in tissues of all species; however, values greater than 2 micrograms/g were found only in 2 kidneys from adult cattle and 1 kidney from a horse. Selenium, tested only in cattle, was found at mean concentrations of 0.28 microgram/g in liver, and 0.92 microgram/g in kidney. Relatively high zinc levels were found in livers of horses, pigs, and calves, with respective mean concentrations of 67.3, 65.6, and 70.2 micrograms/g.