Heavy metal poisoning in animals: Is your cattle at risk?

Heavy metal contamination is very harmful to human health, and can even lead to death. Did you know that animals can also be victims of this type of poisoning? Understand how it happens and how you can protect your creation!

Published in 01/11/2021

Billions of tons of heavy metals are emitted annually due to industrial activities, irregular depletion and human interference. These metals, as well as some similar metalloids, are highly reactive and bioaccumulative, which means they are substances that the body cannot eliminate. Such elements cause damage to the health of living beings, including animals.

Contamination by metals is the absorption and accumulation of substances like cobalt, lead and mercury in a body. Iron, zinc and manganese are also contaminating elements, despite being essential nutrients for the life of several animals, including humans. This happens when exposure to these substances is much higher than normal: in such a way, the organism is unable to process them.

Mining activities are responsible for a large part of environmental pollution by metals, and dam collapses release an enormous volume of toxic elements in nature. This can expose humans and animals to these substances in higher than normal concentrations.

 

How metal contamination impacts livestock health

Perhaps you are thinking that heavy metal poisoning is different in humans and animals. In fact, some of the consequences vary depending on the species, but when it comes to mammals (such as man, ox, sheep, etc.), the damage to health is very similar and extremely serious.

Contamination can lead to the development of several serious diseases, ranging from anemia to blindness, depression and paralysis. In younger animals, cerebellar ataxia, a condition that affects the coordination of movements, attacks the nervous system. Such clinical conditions can cause decreased production and even the death of your animals.

It is important to highlight that, since the life expectancy of animals is less than that of humans, diseases develop faster in them, which accelerates the onset of symptoms and causes death in a short time.

 

Symptoms of heavy metal poisoning

Different metals cause different diseases. Iron contamination is not the same as mercury contamination, for example. However, in cases of environmental pollution, it is possible for an animal to come into contact with more than one toxic substance, just as different animals in a herd may have different but equally dangerous diseases. Therefore, it is important to be aware of all symptoms.

In cattle, neurological signs are the first to appear. The most frequent are headaches, excessive salivation, spasms in the eyelids, mandibular trismus (having difficulty opening or closing the mouth), muscle tremors and convulsions. It is important to be aware of head-pressing, a situation in which animals press the head, especially the upper part or the forehead region, against hard surfaces - walls, for example.

It is common for poisonings to harm the digestive tract of animals, affecting the stomach and intestines, which can cause colic, constipation, diarrhea and vomiting. In turn, these symptoms carry a risk of dehydration. There may also be cases of stomatitis, pharyngitis and irritation in the mouth or anus.

 

How contamination happens

Heavy metal poisoning is environmental and can occur through different routes. The elements can be absorbed through food, breathing and the skin. As these substances are not eliminated by the body, the contamination is gradual: when drinking polluted water, breathing air that is loaded with toxic particles or stepping on contaminated soil, the animal is taking the elements into the body. The higher the concentration of metals in the body, the greater the damage.

 

It is this contamination that subproject 07 will investigate. The research teams, formed by professors and students from the UFMG Veterinary School, will collect samples of milk, fur, blood, feces and urine from farm animals in municipalities close to the Paraopeba River. After testing these samples, it will be possible to identify whether the animals in the region are intoxicated or not, as well as and what is the risk that this contamination will reach the population.

Interesting, isn't it? See more about the project

To learn more about heavy metal contamination in dogs and cats, click.