Assessment of a possible genotoxic environmental risk in sheep bred on grounds with strongly elevated contents of mercury, arsenic and antimony

被引:25
作者
Gebel, T [1 ]
Kevekordes, S [1 ]
Schaefer, J [1 ]
vonPlaten, H [1 ]
Dunkelberg, H [1 ]
机构
[1] UNIV MAINZ,INST GEOSCI,D-55099 MAINZ,GERMANY
来源
MUTATION RESEARCH-GENETIC TOXICOLOGY | 1996年 / 368卷 / 3-4期
关键词
biomonitoring; mercury; arsenic; antimony; alkaline elution; sister chromatid exchange;
D O I
10.1016/S0165-1218(96)90068-3
中图分类号
Q3 [遗传学];
学科分类号
071007 ; 090102 ;
摘要
A part of Northern Palatinate country (Germany) was formerly influenced by mercury mining. Today, in many cases agricultural and housing areas are placed onto or near to former dump grounds of rubble. In the soil of these areas the concentration of mercury, arsenic and antimony was found ranging from basic natural contents up to strongly elevated levels. In a biomonitoring project, sheep bred on grounds contaminated with mercury (range 1-435 mg Hg/kg dry matter), arsenic (range 17-147 mg As/kg dry matter) and antimony (range 2-15 mg Sb/kg dry matter) were taken as example on the uptake of these elements from the environment and for possible effects of this exposure. Significantly elevated mercury levels were found in wool of one collective of exposed sheep (0.107 mg/kg mean vs. 0.048 mg/kg mean, p < 0.001, U-test). Surprisingly, the arsenic content of wool taken from sheep bred in the urban referential area was approx. 10 times higher than that of the sheep bred on the grounds contaminated with arsenic (0.57 mg/kg mean vs. 0.051 mg/kg mean, p < 0.001, U-test). In general, element concentrations in the examined blood samples were low and the differences between the collectives were small: mercury was found in concentrations ranging from 0.9 mu g/l up to 2.0 mu g/l (means), arsenic and antimony were generally found in concentrations below 1 mu g/l. Neither in the alkaline elution technique nor in the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) analysis significant increases in the rate of DNA-damaging effects between the different sheep collectives were detected. This indicates that the transfer rate of genotoxic compounds of mercury, arsenic or antimony from the environment is too low to register effects with AFE and SCE although the soil was highly contaminated.
引用
收藏
页码:267 / 274
页数:8
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