Metals uptake and health risks associated with cattle grazing on mine tailings
- Kleinfelder, Inc., Bellevue, WA (United States)
Cattle are used at a site in Arizona to revegetate mine tailings dams by dispersing seeds and adding fertilizer with their manure. Although this program has been successful in revegetating the slopes, the residual metals in the tailings may potentially be accumulated by the cattle. Using US EPA guidelines on indirect exposure pathways and data on metals in tailings and in grasses, exposure and tissue levels of metals were calculated to assess health threats to the cattle or to those consuming the beef. Lead in the tailings and cadmium in tailings and grasses were selected for detailed exposure analysis via ingestion of tailings and grasses by grazing cattle. Predicted exposures to cattle were below levels resulting in toxic effects to livestock. Estimated human exposures were below the EPA reference dose for cadmium even for a 15 kg child consuming beef or beef liver. Similarly, estimated tissue levels of lead were within reported background dietary levels of lead in beef and kidney. Necropsies of four newborn calves found no evidence of metal toxicity, but possible copper and selenium deficiencies combined with viral infection. Similarly, blood samples from pregnant cattle had non-detectable levels of lead, arsenic, and cadmium.
- OSTI ID:
- 42893
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273-; TRN: IM9521%%57
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 15. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Denver, CO (United States), 30 Oct - 3 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15th annual meeting: Abstract book. Ecological risk: Science, policy, law, and perception; PB: 286 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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