The mining and burning of Croatian Raša coal had resulted in release of various contaminants into the local environment. They have remained in the local soil, water, and plants, and became available ...to animals through their consumption. In this study, tissue samples from a total of 12 birds from the Raša area and 8 birds from a control area were subjected to multi-element analysis (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Pb) by ICP-MS. The obtained results showed increased Se and Cd concentrations in some bird tissue samples compared to the control area. The highest concentrations of Cu, Zn, and Se were found in the liver, while the highest concentrations of Cd and Pb were found in the kidneys. Although some hazardous trace elements were elevated in the tissues of game species, the risk of consuming meat and offal of such species has been found to be very low.
Selenium (Se) is an essential element for human health in trace amounts but is harmful in excess. Most plants contain a fairly low Se and crop Se supplements ensure adequate levels for human ...nutritional needs. Food is the primary source of Se for humans and due to differences in eating habits, its intake varies considerably. In the human body, selenium deficiency can lead to diseases of the endocrine, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, reproductive, nervous and immune systems. Selenium is an important ingredient in glutathione peroxidase, the main cellular antioxidant enzyme, which can convert free radicals into peroxides, while vitamin E removes free radicals and neutralizes their potentially harmful effects. Excessive amounts of selenium in the human diet are considered toxic, causing liver and kidney damage, blood clotting, heart and liver necrosis, skin lesions, nausea, vomiting, and loss of hair and nails. Semiconducting properties of Se make it of special value for industry. Selenium is a rare element on the planet, and is a non-renewable resource due to its non-efficient and difficult recycling. Except of coal, which is commonly enriched in Se, there are no ores which could be mined for it. Herewith, the world's scarce Se resources need a careful management, monitoring, recycling, and stockpiling for future generations. The first part of this review outlines selenium concentrations in soil, water, and plants in terms of essential and toxicological effects on animals and humans, while the second part briefly overviews novel biotechnological methods of bioremediation of environmental selenium.
Free-living game can be an important source of dietary cadmium and lead; the question is whether exposure to these two elements is such that it might cause adverse health effects in the consumers. ...The aim of this study was to estimate dietary exposure to cadmium, lead, and mercury from free-living big game (fallow deer, roe deer, red deer, wild boar, and brown bear), and to mercury from small game (pheasant and hare), hunted in Croatia from 1990 to 2012. The exposure assessment was based on available literature data and our own measurements of metal levels in the tissues of the game, by taking into account different consumption frequencies (four times a year, once a month and once a week). Exposure was expressed as percentage of (provisional) tolerable weekly intake (P)TWI values set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Consumption of game meat (0.002-0.5 % PTWI) and liver (0.005-6 % PTWI) assumed for the general population (four times a year) does not pose a health risk to consumers from the general population, nor does monthly (0.02-6 % PTWI) and weekly (0.1-24 % PTWI) consumption of game meat. However, because of the high percentage of free-living game liver and kidney samples exceeding the legislative limits for cadmium (2-99 %) and lead (1-82 %), people should keep the consumption of certain game species’ offal as low as possible. Children and pregnant and lactating women should avoid eating game offal altogether. Free-living game liver could be an important source of cadmium if consumed on a monthly basis (3-74 % TWI), and if consumed weekly (11-297 % TWI), it could even give rise to toxicological concern.
Raša coal, mined on the Istrian Peninsula (NW Croatia) for nearly 400 years up to 1999, is notable for having superhigh organic sulfur, and high levels of selenium, uranium, vanadium, and molybdenum. ...Selenium is the poison responsible for the widespread loss of cattle and sheep. It is essential to human health in trace amounts, but higher concentrations can be harmful. An estimated 4.4.Mt. of coal remains underground within marine carbonate rocks. The study area belongs to the coastal karst of the Adriatic Sea. Several abandoned coal-mine discharges (CMDs) were released into local streams and the Raša Bay for decades. Therefore, the water quality of a natural karst spring (Fonte Gaja), the Raša Bay seawater, municipal wastewater, and the Raša CMDs were investigated, focusing on sulfur, selected metal(loid)s (major, minor, and trace), radioactivity, and cytotoxicity. The Fonte Gaja spring water, unrelated to the Raša CMD, served as a reference. Its values of Se, U, V, and Mo (µg/L) were as follows: 1.09, 0.75, 1.37, and 2.04, respectively. However, the respective levels (µg/L) were increased in the rest of the water samples as follows: 10.9, 10.8, 4.60, and 33.1. Water sulfate levels were low though. Total beta activities of the CMDs and Raša Bay water were 235 and 1320 Bq/m3, respectively, below the guideline level of 2000 Bq/m3. The cytotoxicity of water samples on the RTG-2 fish cells was not statistically significant. The large volumes of water involved mean the transport of rather large amounts of Se and U, and their deposition in the Adriatic Sea. Due to the complexity of the karst hydrogeology, knowledge of Se and U circulation patterns is highly needed.
Pets can have accidental, intentional, or malicious exposure to illicit drugs. It is a growing concern over the last decade because there is an increase in usage of illicit drugs in humans and ...diagnosis is difficult. Owners are often not aware of exposure, or they are reluctant to admit possession of recreational drugs in the household due to potential legal consequences. In addition, illicit drugs sold on the black market are often adulterated with other substances resulting in non-specific clinical presentation and aggravation of symptoms. There are affordable onsite diagnostic tests on the market which could facilitate diagnosis of intoxication with illicit drugs, but they give a lot of false positive results due to low specificity of the tests. In this paper we gathered information about the most common recreational drugs such as amphetamines, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), phencyclidine (PCP), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin mushrooms and cocaine in terms of toxicokinetic properties, mechanism of toxic action, clinical presentation and treatment in dogs and cats.
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) have been used for the last 60 years, but their negative effects on animals and possibly humans has only been observed in the last 20 years, and they have been ...intensively studied since then. The widespread presence of flame retardant in the indoor environment make domestic pets, who share the human environment and even food, perfect indicators for biomonitoring studies. Among brominated flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (BDE) have received the most attention. We measured the concentrations of some polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners (BDE 28, BDE 47, BDE 66, BDE 100, BDE 99, BDE 85, BDE 154, BDE 153 and BDE 183) in the serum of 20 obese and 20 normal house dogs. We found no statistical differences between the concentrations of any BDE congeners in either group of dogs. Total average values were 0.0190 + or - 0.0302 ng/g and 0.0112 + or - 0.0091 ng/g, respectively. BDE 47 and BDE 99 were predominant congeners in both groups of dogs. The correlation between serum concentrations of total BDE-s and thyroxine and thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations were not significant. Key words: brominated flame retardants; contamination; pets; serum; indoor environment; persistent organic pollutants
Selenium (Se), an essential trace element that is toxic when humans and animals are exposed to it in excess, is ubiquitous in coal. For centuries, superhigh-organic-sulfur (SHOS) Raša coal, enriched ...in S, Se, U, V, and Mo, was mined and processed across the Mediterranean Raša Bay area, located in the Istrian peninsula (in the northern Adriatic Sea, Croatia). There is concern that Raša coal mine water is contaminating local water, soil, and crops. The aim of this monitoring study was to determine the levels of Se and selected potentially toxic trace (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Mo, Pb, U, V, and Zn), and minor (Fe and Mn) elements in Raša coal mine water, surface water, and associated vegetables, one fruit, and wild plants. Levels of Se in coal mine water were increased (up to 12 μg/L) compared to the maximum allowed water Se (10 μg/L). Compared to an EU average soil Se (1.15 mg/kg), Raša garden soil showed a 5-fold increase in Se. Compared to Croatian and Greek vegetable Se levels (low to normal), Raša vegetables showed a 20-fold, and a 50-fold increase in Se, respectively. Although approximative only, estimates of daily intake (EDI) of Se for mixed Raša vegetables (n = 21) showed a high level (0.055 mg/day). Namely, recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of Se for females and males are 0.055 mg/day, and 0.070 mg/ day, respectively. The EDI values of the analyzed vegetables contributed to average RDA levels as follows: garlic (183%), turnip (154%), parsley (147%), onion and gourd (76%), lettuce (74%), kale (62%), radicchio (51%), and potato (20%). Although the calculated EDI for the analyzed Raša vegetables was 1/8 the toxic dose (>0.4 mg/day), these results call for further research on the dietary and nutritional status of the residents in terms of Se.
Nastavno prethodnim radovima u koji- ma su opisana otrovanja pasa i mačaka hranom i dodatcima hrani: čokoladom, kavom, grožđem, lukom i oraščićima makadamije te ksilitolom i solju u ovom su radu ...opisana otrovanja sredstvima koja izazivaju ovisnost odnosno nekim depresorima središnjeg živčanog sustava: marihuanom, opioidima, „klupskim“ drogama flunitrazepam i gamahidroksibutirat (GHB). Ilegalni lijekovi ili zloporabne droge su vrlo čest uzrok otrovanja kućnih ljubimaca od kojih su psi najprijemljiviji. Otrovanje nastaje zbog slučajne ingestije, krivog doziranja, ali i zlonamjernih trovanja. Ingestija zloporabnih droga predstavlja dijagnostički, često i etički izazov veterinarima kliničarima, a vlasnici vrlo često nisu uopće svjesni čemu je životinja bila izložena. U ovom radu opisani su toksični učinci najčešćih depresora središnjeg živčanog sustava u kontekstu veterinarske toksikologije - izvori otrovanja, toksičnost, toksikokinetika, mehanizam toksičnog djelovanja, klinički znakovi otrovanja, dijagnostika i liječenje otrovanih životinja. Cilj ovog rada je detaljan opis najčešćih lijekova koji se zloupotrebljuju, klinički protokol te terapija otrovanih životinja u svrhu informiranja vlasnika životinja u smislu preventivnog djelovanja i izbjegavanja rizika kontakta životinja s navedenim lijekovima.
Following previous work in which we described poisoning with food and food additives: chocolate, coffee, grapes, macadamia nuts, onions and garlic, xylitol and salt this paper described the poisoning with the most common central nervous system depressants (marijuana, barbiturates, opioids, “club” drugs-flunitrazepam and Gamma hydroxy- butyrate (GHB)). Exposure to illegal drugs is very common cause of companion animal poi- soning, of which dogs are the most susceptible. The poisoning is due to accidental ingestion, wrong dosage, but also malicious poisoning. Illegal drug ingestion presents both diagnostic and ethical challenge to the clinician and pet owners may not be aware of what the animal was exposed to. This work describes the most common central nervous system depressants in context of veterinary toxicology - sources of poisoning, toxicity, toxicokinetic, mechanism of action-clinical signs of poisoning, diagnostics and treatment of poisoned animals. The aim of this thesis is a detailed description of the most commonly used drugs, clinical protocol and treatment of poisoned animals in order to raise awareness for animal owners in terms of preventive action and avoiding the risk of animal contact with these drugs.
The natural gas industry bears a certain contamination risk to human and biota due to, among others, mercury, arsenic, and naturally occurring radioactive material content in gas. We tracked multiple ...stabile metal(loid)s and radionuclides within the natural gas treatment plant Molve, Croatia, ecosystem during the last decade through a comprehensive monitoring of soil, earthworms, moss, livestock (blood, milk, hair, urine, and feces from cows), and wildlife animals (brain, muscle, liver, and kidney of European hare and pheasant). The level of mercury and other stable metal(loid)s has shown temporal variation, but without an obvious trend. The found spatial differences in soil and earthworms were based on the differing soil characteristics of the sampled locations and exceeded the maximal allowable concentration of arsenic and zinc for agricultural soil. The status of essential copper, selenium, and zinc in cows, hares, and pheasants inclined towards deficiency. The measured stable metal(loid) levels in soil and animal samples were generally in the same range of values reported in earlier decades from the same area or non-polluted areas across Europe. The consumption of local cow and game products (e.g., milk, meat) can be considered safe for human health, although game offal is advised to be avoided as a food item due to the low risk of lead and cadmium’s adverse effects. Although the activity concentrations of some radionuclides in moss were higher than reported for pristine areas, transfer from soil to moss was assessed as average (except for lead-210). Radiological risk to human and biota around the gas treatment plant Molve was estimated as negligible.
Concentrations of cadmium, lead and mercury were determined in muscle, liver and kidney tissue from three different age groups of red deer (young animals aged 6 or 7 months, middle-aged animals aged ...3 to 5 years, old animals aged over 8 years) from the Baranja region of Croatia. Median cadmium concentrations were low in the muscles of all investigated age groups (0.0002; 0.0009 and 0.0020 μg/g), higher in the liver (0.0279; 0.0656 and 0.1463 μg/g) and highest in the kidneys (0.4792; 2.8531 and 6.1657 μg/g). A positive correlation was established between cadmium concentration and age. In all analyzed tissues the median lead concentration was higher in young (muscle 0.0024; liver 0.0364 and kidney 0.0618 μg/g), compared to middle-aged animals (muscle 0.0001; liver 0.0184 and kidney 0.0160 μg/g). In contrast to cadmium, mercury had a negative correlation to age but median concentrations were very low (in muscle: 0.0011; 0.0001 and 0.0006 μg/g; in liver: 0.0051; 0.0037 and 0.0022 μg/g and in kidney: 0.0145; 0.0183 and 0.0106 μg/g) especially compared to cadmium. From the hygienic point of view all the examined tissues are edible since concentrations of the analyzed metals do not exceed values proposed by the official regulations, with the exception of a few kidney samples, which contained cadmium above the recommended value. Furthermore, mercury concentrations are no longer (since 2008) a matter of legislation.
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