49I-1 |
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A. A. ODUGBEMI and M. Ologunde. Dept. of Food Science & Engineering, Ladoke Akintola Univ. of Technology, PMB 4000, Ogbomoso, 210010, Nigeria Lead is one of the many metals that are not physiologically or biochemically essential to organisms. This element is extremely dangerous as it is easily absorbed and remains in tissues for a long time. Long exposure to high doses of lead may cause biochemical and functional changes in some critical organs. In this study, fishes exposed to high lead concentration in a static bioassay experiment were sacrificed, processed whole and used as source of protein in an animal model experiment aimed at evaluating the extent of bioaccumulation of the element in the rat. Doses used in this experiment were environmentally realistic 0.25 micro gramms per gram (control), 15 microgramms per gram and 30 micrograms per gram lead (dry weight). The animals (rats) were given the lead-contaminated food and clean water ad-libitum for 12 weeks. After these exposures the animals(rats) were sacrificed and the kidneys, liver, and testes from each animal were collected for analysis. The concentrations of lead and other toxic metals were later analyzed with an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The formalin fixed testes, kidneys and parts of the liver, were embedded in paraffin and stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Lead accumulation in tissue was directly proportional to doses. Highest lead concentration was observed in the kidneys of animals fed the highest dose of lead. Histological examination of the tissues revealed some pathological changes in the structure of the internal organs. The presentation will discuss the result obtained.
Session 49I, Toxicology & Safety Evaluation: General
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