[Occurrence of harmful chemical elements (Hg, Cd, Pb) in pig stalls]

The presence of harmful chemical elements (Hg, Cd, Pb) in the stable environment for fattened pigs was compared in Hodonin district in the years 1984 and 1994. These data were recorded for the year 1994 in comparison with 1984: 1, mercury content in feed mixtures for pigs decreased 102 times (0.510 and/or 0.005 mg/kg), cadmium content 8 times (0.400 and/or 0.048 mg/kg) and lead content 6 times (2,680 and/or 0.420 mg/kg); 2. mercury content in stable dust deposition decreased 27 times (0.480 and/or 0.018 mg/kg) and cadmium content 6 times (1.370 and/or 0.248 mg/kg), but lead content slightly increased (5.980 and/or 8.569 mg/kg); 3. mercury content in the bristles dropped 20 times (0.440 and/or 0.022 mg/kg), cadmium content 5 times (0.080 and/or 0.015 mg/kg) and lead content 10 times (1.690 and/or 0.195 mg/kg). In addition, the presence of Hg, Cd and Pb in pig manure and road dust was investigated. Road dust exhibited an increased lead concentration (22.800 mg/kg), so it is not possible to exclude lead penetration from the stable surroundings to the internal environment of the stable. After application to arable land, pig manure can be a vector of some amounts of heavy metals (Hg 0.003; Cd 0.024; Pb 0.518 mg/kg dry matter). It is a positive result that there has been a significant decrease in mercury and cadmium contents in the stable environment for fattened pigs in the last decade. This fact reduces the health risk not only for pigs but also for their tenders.