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The effect of dietary calcium and phosphate on lead poisoning in lambs

1977; Elsevier BV; Volume: 87; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0021-9975(77)90031-7

1532-3129

James N. Morrison, J. Quarterman, W. R. Humphries,

Heavy metals in environment

Thirty wether lambs were given diets which contained 400 mg lead per kg and differed in their calcium, phosphorus and sulphur contents. When the diet was low in calcium or sulphur but adequate in the other major minerals the lambs stopped eating, rapidly lost weight and died within 5 weeks. When the diet was supplemented with all three minerals or was low in phosphorus they survived for up to 10 months. The only signs of lead toxicity were anorexia and weight loss. Blood, liver and frontal bone biopsy samples were taken at intervals. The lead content of these tissues rose during the first few weeks and thereafter remained fairly constant. The lead content of other tissues was measured after slaughter but only that of the kidney was related (inversely) to the length of survival of the lambs. The results show that the toxicity of a diet containing lead was greatly influenced by the major mineral composition of the diet but the lead content of the tissues, except the kidney, was not related to the severity of the toxicity after the first few weeks of exposure.