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Evaluation of Dog Bones in the Indirect Assessment of Environmental Contamination with Trace Elements

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Abstract

The aim of this paper was to determine the level of five elements, two essential for life [zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu)] and three distinctly toxic [lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg)], in four types of biological material in bones of the dog Canis lupus familiaris. The experiment was carried out on bones from the hip joints of dogs. The samples of cartilage, compact bone, spongy bone, and cartilage with adjacent compact bone came from 26 domestic dogs from northwestern Poland. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd were determined by ICP-AES (atomic absorption spectrophotometry) in inductively coupled argon plasma, using a Perkin-Elmer Optima 2000 DV. Determination of Hg concentration was performed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. In the examined bone material from the dog, the greatest concentrations (median) were observed for Zn and the lowest for Hg (98 mg Zn/kg and 0.0015 mg Hg/kg dw, respectively). In cartilage and spongy bone, metal concentrations could be arranged in the following descending order: Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd > Hg. In compact bone, the order was slightly different: Zn > Pb > Cd > Cu > Hg (from median 70 mg/kg dw to 0.002 mg/kg dw). The comparisons of metal concentrations between the examined bone materials showed distinct differences only in relation to Hg: between concentrations in spongy bone, compact bone, and in cartilage, being greater in cartilage than in compact bone, and lower again in spongy bone.

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Acknowledgments

The study was financed as research project no. NN 404 507738 by the Polish Ministry of Education from the resources for the years 2010–2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Medical Parasitology, Pomeranian Medical University, Powstancow Wielkopolskich Av. 72, 70-111, Szczecin, Poland

    Natalia Lanocha, Elzbieta Kalisinska, Danuta I. Kosik-Bogacka & Halina Budis

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  1. Natalia Lanocha
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  2. Elzbieta Kalisinska
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  3. Danuta I. Kosik-Bogacka
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  4. Halina Budis
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Correspondence to Danuta I. Kosik-Bogacka.

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Communicated by D. I. Kosik-Bogacka

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Lanocha, N., Kalisinska, E., Kosik-Bogacka, D.I. et al. Evaluation of Dog Bones in the Indirect Assessment of Environmental Contamination with Trace Elements. Biol Trace Elem Res 147, 103–112 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-011-9315-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-011-9315-3

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