Lead poisoning in cattle and chickens in the state of Pará, Brazil

O presente estudo descreve a ocorrência de intoxicação por chumbo em bovinos e galinhas no Pará, Brasil. Em um lote composto de 80 bezerros de um rebanho leiteiro, 10 animais ficaram doentes e nove morreram, e um animal se recuperou após ser removido do piquete. Após a inspeção deste piquete, foi observada a presença de baterias de caminhões usados para armazenar a energia captada por painéis solares. Os sinais clínicos observados nos bezerros incluíam dificuldade respiratória, corrimento nasal, salivação excessiva, opacidade da córnea, pressão da cabeça contra objetos e decúbito. As galinhas tinham diminuída oviposição e os ovos produzidos eram com cascas malformadas ou tinham a casca mais fina. Os achados de necropsia e as alterações histopatológicas observadas nos bovinos eram de pouco significado, com exceção de um animal que mostrou leve astrocitose no córtex cerebral. Em uma das galinhas, na histopatologia renal observou-se leve necrose tubular aguda multifocal. As concentrações de chumbo médios nos fígados e rins dos bovinos eram 93,91mg/kg e 209,76mg/kg, respectivamente, e a concentração média no fígado de galinhas foi 105,02mg/ kg. Concluiu-se que a fonte de contaminação por chumbo nesses bezerros e galinhas eram placas de bateria de caminhão, aos quais os animais tiveram acesso na pastagem.

Mineral element and heavy metal poisoning in animals

Mineral elements are essential to animal health, survival and production because they are part of physiological, structural, catalytic and regulatory organism functions. Therefore, they should be present in diet. However, these minerals when ingested in excessive doses due to errors in balancing mineral supplements and/or complete ration, intake of plants with high mineral concentration, resulting from addition of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides in pasture or tillage where plants and/or grains will be used to feed animals, decomposition of urban and industrial wastes, leaks and accidental spills of pollutants may result in accumulation of toxic mineral elements in the environment poisoning the animals and may lead them to death. However, toxic doses, physiological changes during poisoning, symptoms and mineral concentration in tissues of poisoned animals to confirm diagnosis are not completely known. Thus, this study reviews mineral element doses that some authors considered toxic for animals intake, as its concentration in tissues of poisoned animals and its physiological effects, symptoms, diagnostic procedures and treatment for poisoning by cadmium, lead, copper, chromium, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc.

Lead poisoning in cattle grazing pasture contaminated by industrial waste

Lead poisoning is described in a herd of 120 Nelore cows of which 35 were affected. All affected cows died after a clinical course of 2-7 d with clinical signs related to cortical neurological disturbances. The source of Pb was fumes from a car battery recycling plant which has had a failure in its filtering system. Lead concentrations in liver and kidneys of 2 cows, in soil;and in grass where the cows were held were respective 39 to 431 ppm, 147 to 431 ppm,and 245ppm. No significant gross changes were observed. Histopathology revealed of neuronal necrosis, vacuolation of the neuropil and hypertrophy of the vascular endothelium inthecerebral cortices, degeneration of the epithelial cellsofrenal proximal tubules, and hemosiderosis of kidney, spleen and liver.

Correlation analysis of the long latency auditory evoked potential N2 and cognitive P3 with the level of lead poisoning in children

Introduction: The effects of lead on children’s health have been widely studied. Aim: To analyze the correlation between the long latency auditory evoked potential N2 and cognitive P3 with the level of lead poisoning in Brazilian children. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 20 children ranging in age from 7 to 14 years at the time of audiological and electrophysiological evaluations. We performed periodic surveys of the lead concentration in the blood and basic audiological evaluations. Furthermore, we studied the auditory evoked potential long latency N2 and cognitive P3 by analyzing the absolute latency of the N2 and P3 potentials and the P3 amplitude recorded at Cz. At the time of audiological and electrophysiological evaluations, the average concentration of lead in the blood was less than 10 ug/dL. Results: In conventional audiologic evaluations, all children had hearing thresholds below 20 dBHL for the frequencies tested and normal tympanometry findings; the auditory evoked potential long latency N2 and cognitive P3 were present in 95% of children. No significant correlations were found between the blood lead concentration and latency (p = 0.821) or amplitude (p = 0.411) of the P3 potential. However, the latency of the N2 potential increased with the concentration of lead in the blood, with a significant correlation (p = 0.030). Conclusion: Among Brazilian children with low lead exposure, a significant correlation was found between blood lead levels and the average latency of the auditory evoked potential long latency N2; however, a significant correlation was not observed for the amplitude and latency of the cognitive potential P3

Lead poisoning prevention with states in collaboration with local health departments : a model for intervention related to lead poisoning in indoor firing ranges /

Includes bibliographical references (p. 16)

Serious lead poisoning in childhood: Still a problem after a century

Objective: To describe a series of patients with clinically significant lead poisoning. Methodology: A case series of nine patients with lead poisoning who required inpatient management, identified through a Clinical Toxicology Service. Results: Nine children presented with clinically significant lead poisoning. The median serum lead was 2.5 mumol/L (range 1.38-4.83). Eight of the children were exposed to lead-based paint, with seven due to dust from sanded lead paint during house renovations. Serial blood determinations suggested re-exposure in four of the patients, and in one of these patients the re-exposure was from a different source of lead. Eight of the patients required chelation therapy. Conclusions: Serious lead poisoning continues to occur and there appears to be complacency regarding the hazard posed by lead paint in old houses.

The effects of a family-based educational intervention on the prevention of lead poisoning in children

The effects of lead exposure may endure through one's lifetime and can negatively effect educational performance. While the link between the cause and effects of lead poisoning has been identified, the application of lead health education as the mechanism of disease prevention has not. The purpose of this study was to examine whether caregiver participation in a family-based educational intervention can result in decreased lead exposure in low socioeconomic children. ^ Participants (n = 50) were caregivers of children 12 to 36 months of age. They were randomly selected from an urban clinic and randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. The experimental design of this study involved two clinic visits. Parents in the treatment group were given the educational intervention during the first clinic visit while those in the control group were given the intervention during the second clinic visit. The intervention was reinforced with a lead education brochure coupled with a video on childhood lead poisoning. One instrument was used to test parental knowledge of lead poisoning both pre- and post-intervention. Blood lead levels in pediatric participants were tested using two blood lead screens approximately three to four months apart determined by well-child check-up schedules. ^ Findings from the analysis of variance showed the interaction between the change in blood lead level between the children's first and second clinic visits and the treatment level. This demonstrated a significant interaction between the differences of first and second clinic visits blood lead levels and the presence or absence of the educational intervention. ^ The findings from an analysis of covariance support that caregivers in the treatment group have significantly higher scores on the second clinic visit scores on the CLKT than the caregivers in the control group. These data suggest that the educational treatment is effective in increasing the knowledge of caregivers about the dangers of lead poisoning and the strategies for lead poisoning prevention. ^ Conclusions indicate that the education of adult caregivers can affect blood lead levels of children, the educational treatment increased the knowledge of caregivers, caregivers were able to carry out procedures taught, and caregivers retained knowledge over time. ^

The Effects of a Family-Based Educational Intervention on the Prevention of Lead Poisoning in Children

Parents completed a survey measuring their knowledge of lead poisoning. Children, 24 to 36 months old received two blood lead level screens. Parents in the treatment group showed significantly higher scores on the posttest, and their children showed greater decreased blood lead levels than participants in the control group.

Screening for childhood lead poisoning in the industrial region of Fez, Morocco

International audience

Environmental lead poisoning among children in Porto Alegre state, Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of lead poisoning in children and to identify associated factors, as well as possible local sources of contamination. METHODS: A cross-sectional prevalence study conducted in 2006 with a random sample of 97 children age zero to five years from a neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Blood lead levels were measured and a questionnaire administered to collect information on sociodemographics, recycling and dwelling. A preliminary environmental evaluation was carried out with direct analysis of soil and indirect analysis of air pollution with bioindicators to identify possible sources of contamination. To analyze lead concentrations from the different collection sites, for each type of material studied, ANOVA was performed with a Brown-Forsythe adjustment for heteroscedasticity and with Dunnett's T3 procedure for multiple comparisons of unequal variances. RESULTS: Blood lead levels >= 10.0 mu g/dL was found in 16.5% of children. Recycling of waste at home, low father's education level, and increased age of children were associated with increase blood lead levels. High lead levels were found in soil, and there was little indication of lead air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of lead poisoning was identified, and the potential sources of contamination in this community appear related to waste recylcing activities. Studies should be conducted with other populations of Brazilian children and evaluate potential sources of local and general contamination, to accurately characterize this issue in Brazil.

Hematobiochemical changes of lead Poisoning and amelioration with Coconut ( Cocos nucifera L.) Water in wistar albino rats

To determine the ameliorative effect of coconut water on haematobiochemical changes due to lead poisoning in wistar albino rats for six weeks, sixty rats were assigned to four groups. 0.10g/l of lead and 75ml coconut ( cocus nucifera l.) water were given orally for six weeks. The mean values of red blood cells, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell distribution width and platelets (8.10±0.63(×106μl), 52.7±0.87(μm3), 17.9±0.56(pg), 34.73±0.65(g/dl), 17.90±0.67(%) and 670.00±42.22(×103μl) respectively) reduced in lead treated rats when compared with control mean values (8.41 ± 0.90(×106μl), 56.60 ± 1.55(μm3), 19.33 ± 0.82(pg), 34.93 ± 0.90(g/dl), 18.27 ± 0.73(%) and 818.33± 123.68(×103μl) respectively ) and these values increased in75ml coconut water only group and the group of 0.10g/l lead + 75ml coconut water except mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, and red blood cell distribution width of the 75ml coconut water only. The mean values of white blood cells, lymphocytes, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol/high density lipoproteincholesterol and total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein-cholesterol increased (12.23±0.57(×103μl), 79.83±3.87(%), 64.66±6.01(mg/dl), 89.00±7.94(mg/dl), 22.67±6.93(mg/dl), 21.00±4.58(mg/dl), 1.29±0.62 and 3.36±0.83 respectively ) in the lead group when compared with mean values of control group (5.83±0.74(×103μl), 69.07±10.57(%), 54.00±4.04(mg/dl), 97.33±11.34(mg/dl), 20.00±3.06(mg/dl), 17.00±6.51(mg/dl), 0.97±0.41 and 2.87±0.55 respectively) but the mean values decreased when compared with the mean values of group of 75ml coconut water only and group of 0.10g/l lead + 75ml coconut water, except the mean values of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol. These results indicate that coconut water could ameliorate effects of lead toxicity

Lead concentrations in bones and feathers of the globally threatened Spanish imperial eagle

Raptors that consume game species may ingest lead fragments or shot embedded in their prey's flesh. Threatened Spanish imperial eagles Aquila adalberti feed on greylag geese in southern Spain in winter, and often ingest lead shot. We analysed bone and feather samples from 65 Spanish imperial eagle museum specimens collected between 1980 and 1999, to investigate the prevalence of elevated lead concentrations. Four of 34 birds (12%) had very elevated bone lead concentrations. All four birds were young and the concentrations were outliers to the distribution, suggesting probable exposure to lead gunshot. Excluding these elevated lead outliers, bone lead concentrations were correlated with the bird's age at death. Three of 41 feathers (7%) had elevated lead concentrations, indicative of high exposure during feather formation. When these outliers were omitted, feather lead concentration was correlated with the age of museum specimens, suggesting that a high proportion of feather lead was exogenous, deposited after specimen collection. Therefore, careful interpretation of feather lead concentrations is required to separate endogenous and exogenous lead. We discuss the potential significance of lead poisoning in Spanish imperial eagles and other raptors, and recommend measures for its reduction. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Get the lead out : Illinois childhood lead poisoning surveillance report.

Description based on: 1994; title from cover.

Integration of data sets pertaining to bald eagles and water fowl populations in Illinois /

"September 1986."

Reduced risk of acute poisoning in Australian cattle from used motor oils after introduction of lead-free petrol.

Lead (Pb) poisoning of cattle has been relatively common in Australia and sump oil has been identified as an important cause of Pb toxicity for cattle because they seem to have a tendency to drink it. Lead-free petrol has been available in Australia since 1975, so the aim of this study was to assess the current risk to cattle from drinking used automotive oils. Sump or gear box oil was collected from 56 vehicles being serviced. The low levels of Pb found suggest that the removal of leaded petrol from the Australian market as a public health measure has benefited cattle by eliminating the risk of acute poisoning from used engine oil.