Heavy Metals (Cd, Pb, and Zn) Residue in Selected Tissue and Organs of Slaughtered Goat-Meat randomly selected from Markets in Ayegbaju-Ekiti, Akure, and Owena

Abstract

This study investigated Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn) content of some selected organs (liver, kidney, heart, and intestine) and tissue (blood) of slaughtered goats randomly sampled from central markets in Ayegbaju-Ekiti, Akure and Owena, South-western Nigeria. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) was used to determine the level of heavy metals based on comparison with standards. The mean concentrations obtained Zn were detected in all samples investigated, but Cd was undetected in some samples, especially the liver and blood of goat from Owena. The general trend in the mean concentration of metals was Zn>Pb>Cd, in tissue and organs was kidney > liver > intestine > heart > blood, and in-market, with respect to metals, was Akure > Ayegbaju-Ekiti=Owena for Cd, Ayegbaju-Ekiti > Akure > Owena for Pb and Owena > Akure > Ayegbaju-Ekiti for Zn. All the metals in some samples of goat, especially Cd in the kidney (2.50±2.18) from Akure, Pb in the kidney (19.00±9.17 mg/kg) from Ayegbaju-Ekiti and intestine (15.00±17.35 mg/kg) from Akure as well as Zn in the heart (71.50±95.90 mg/kg) from Ayegbaju-Ekiti, had a mean concentration in excess of the permissible limits set by FAO/WHO. Some of the tissue and organs of goats sampled from the studied area were therefore polluted with all the metals investigated, and their consumption may have health implications.