The public health implications of farming cattle in areas with high background concentrations of vanadium

Gummow, B., Botha, C.J., Noordhuizen, J.P.T.M., and Heesterbeek, J.A.P. (2005) The public health implications of farming cattle in areas with high background concentrations of vanadium. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 72 (3). pp. 281-290.

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Abstract

Forty-two adult Brahman-cross cattle farmed extensively in two groups, immediately adjacent to and 2 km from a vanadium processing plant respectively, were slaughtered over a 5 year period at a nearby abattoir. Cattle were being exposed to vanadium at close to no-adverse-effect levels. The dose of vanadium that cattle were taking in prior to slaughter was calculated for each animal from environmental and physiological data using a stochastic risk assessment model. The median exposure doses in the month prior to slaughter ranged from 0.55 to 2.73 mg vanadium/kg body weight/day. A range of tissues was taken from the cattle at slaughter for vanadium determination and tissue levels of vanadium in muscle, liver and kidney are reported. The concentrations of vanadium in the milk of cattle from the same farm sampled over 5 years are also reported. Concentrations were further modelled using a lognormal distribution function to look at possible extreme values that are likely to occur. The concentrations of vanadium in commonly consumed tissues ranged from <0.05 to 11.51 mg/kg (wet-mass basis). The median concentration of vanadium in milk was 0.23 mg vanadium/kg. People drinking milk were at highest risk. The potential oral daily intake of vanadium for people consuming these foodstuffs was modelled using a stochastic model. The model predicted that there is less than a 5% chance that the potential daily intake of vanadium from milk will be >0.44 μg/kg/day for adults. Based on this upper limit it was concluded from current knowledge of toxicity in humans that the tissue and milk residues from cattle should pose no health risk to the consumer.

Item ID: 8977
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1873-1716
Keywords: environmental epidemiology; vanadium; cattle; meat; milk; tissue concentrations; safety
Date Deposited: 11 Mar 2010 00:55
FoR Codes: 07 AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY SCIENCES > 0707 Veterinary Sciences > 070704 Veterinary Epidemiology @ 50%
11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111705 Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety @ 50%
SEO Codes: 92 HEALTH > 9205 Specific Population Health (excl. Indigenous Health) > 920599 Specific Population Health (excl. Indigenous Health) not elsewhere classified @ 40%
84 MINERAL RESOURCES (excl. Energy Resources) > 8498 Environmentally Sustainable Mineral Resource Activities > 849899 Environmentally Sustainable Mineral Resource Activities not elsewhere classified @ 30%
96 ENVIRONMENT > 9601 Air Quality > 960105 Mining Air Quality @ 30%
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