Zaheer Khan, Shahnaz Perween, Karim Gabol, Iqbal Saeed Khan, Nadeem Baig, Roohi Kanwal and Tanveer Jabeen
Keywords: Karachi, hyderabad, thatta, poultry chicken, heavy metals.
Abstract: Heavy metal contamination poses a serious threat to human health due its biomagnifications, bioaccumulation and toxicity. It has caused widespread concern about human health, and therefore, the scientists are focusing their study on the levels of concentration of these metals in food consumed by humans, so as to evaluate the risk associated with heavy metals exposure. In the present study, concentrations of heavy metals (Cadmium, Lead, Copper, Nickel and Zinc) were determined in Poultry chicken Gallus domesticus from some selected areas in the cities like Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta all in the province of Sindh. A total of 135 poultry organs (liver and meat) and blood were randomly collected from chicken, aged 8-10 weeks old, weighing 1.2 to 1.5 kg. The samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy for detection of five heavy metals. All samples showed presence of Cadmium, Lead, Nickel, Zinc and Copper. The levels recorded in the samples were under the permissible limits recommended by the WHO, FAO and ANZFA, except that in the samples from Karachi, the levels of Ni and Pb exceeded the maximum permissible limits in liver, meat and blood. In the samples from Hyderabad, the levels of concentration of Ni and Pb in liver and meat, and only Ni in blood exceeded the permissible limits. In the samples from Thatta city, Ni and Pb in liver and meat, and only Pb in blood exceeded the permissible limits. The present study indicated that heavy metal contaminants come from unhygienic poultry feed material.
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