Biomaterial Database

Arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in meat, livers, and kidneys of swine slaughtered in The Netherlands during the period 1980-1985. 1986

G Vos, and J J Teeuwen, and W van Delft

The results obtained between 1980 and 1985 in a Dutch monitoring programme on the presence of arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in meat and organs of swine are presented. For meat, livers and kidneys the median values were, respectively, 0.001, 0.001, and 0.003 mg/kg (fresh weight) for arsenic, 0.002, 0.044, and 0.260 mg/kg for cadmium, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.08 mg/kg for lead and 0.001, 0.002, and 0.005 mg/kg for mercury. No significant changes were observed in the tissue arsenic and mercury levels during the investigated period. A decrease was observed in the cadmium and lead concentrations in livers and kidneys. The provisional Dutch legal limits were exceeded only for lead in one kidney sample. A significant recti linear relation was found between the cadmium concentrations in livers and kidneys. In general the cadmium and lead levels found are comparable with published data, reported from other countries. Compared with data from the literature, the arsenic and mercury concentrations found in the present study are low.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007668	Kidney	Body organ that filters blood for the secretion of URINE and that regulates ion concentrations.	Kidneys
D007854	Lead	A soft, grayish metal with poisonous salts; atomic number 82, atomic weight 207.2, symbol Pb.
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D008460	Meat	The edible portions of any animal used for food including cattle, swine, goats/sheep, poultry, fish, shellfish, and game.	Meats
D008628	Mercury	A silver metallic element that exists as a liquid at room temperature. It has the atomic symbol Hg (from hydrargyrum, liquid silver), atomic number 80, and atomic weight 200.59. Mercury is used in many industrial applications and its salts have been employed therapeutically as purgatives, antisyphilitics, disinfectants, and astringents. It can be absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes which leads to MERCURY POISONING. Because of its toxicity, the clinical use of mercury and mercurials is diminishing.
D009426	Netherlands	Country located in EUROPE. It is bordered by the NORTH SEA, BELGIUM, and GERMANY. Constituent areas are Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, formerly included in the NETHERLANDS ANTILLES.	Holland,Kingdom of the Netherlands
D002104	Cadmium	An element with atomic symbol Cd, atomic number 48, and atomic weight 112.41. It is a metal and ingestion will lead to CADMIUM POISONING.
D005506	Food Contamination	The presence in food of harmful, unpalatable, or otherwise objectionable foreign substances, e.g. chemicals, microorganisms or diluents, before, during, or after processing or storage.	Food Adulteration,Adulteration, Food,Adulterations, Food,Contamination, Food,Contaminations, Food,Food Adulterations,Food Contaminations
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001151	Arsenic	A shiny gray element with atomic symbol As, atomic number 33, and atomic weight 75. It occurs throughout the universe, mostly in the form of metallic arsenides. Most forms are toxic. According to the Fourth Annual Report on Carcinogens (NTP 85-002, 1985), arsenic and certain arsenic compounds have been listed as known carcinogens. (From Merck Index, 11th ed)	Arsenic-75,Arsenic 75