Heavy metals in meat of Finnish city rabbits.

Levels of cadmium, chromium, lead, copper, manganese and zinc in city rabbits were determined to evaluate the edibility of the meat. Mean concentrations of toxic metals were 0.011 mg/kg for cadmium and 0.037 mg/kg for lead. Cadmium and lead concentrations were below the admissible maximum levels set by the EU. Concentrations of toxic metals in the meat were sufficiently low as to assume that consumption of the meat does not pose a health risk for human health. Investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides and other environmental pollutants is required before the meat can be declared to be completely safe.

Cadmium intake of moose hunters in Finland from consumption of moose meat, liver and kidney.

Although the average cadmium intake in Finland is about 10 microg day(-1), some risk groups can be identified. This study assessed cadmium intake from the consumption of moose meat, liver and kidneys by moose hunters. Consumption data from a postal questionnaire were combined with a representative database on moose cadmium concentrations. Cadmium intakes were calculated as point estimates for all respondents (n = 711), for those consuming moose meat, liver and/or kidneys, and for the highest decile of those. Probabilistic modelling using the Monte Carlo technique was used to simulate the distribution of dietary cadmium exposure. Of the respondents, 69% consumed moose liver and only 23% moose kidneys. The consumption of moose liver or kidneys significantly increased cadmium intake, whereas moose meat (median consumption 17 kg year(-1) person(-1)) contributed only slightly (0.16 microg day(-1) person(-1)) to the daily total cadmium intake. In the simulation, 10% of the moose hunters had an intake of > 8.76 microg day(-1) (14.6% of PTWI for a 60-kg person) from moose. Point estimates provided only a partial understanding of the potential exposure. Simulated distributions of intake were more useful in characterizing exposure. The study revealed that heavy users of moose organs have a relatively narrow safety margin from the levels of cadmium probably causing adverse health effects.

Aluminium, lead and cadmium concentrations in seminal plasma and spermatozoa, and semen quality in Finnish men.

Aluminium, cadmium and lead concentrations in the spermatozoa and seminal plasma of 27 employees of two industrial companies, a refinery and a polyolefin factory, and 45 consecutive sperm donor candidates at a sperm bank were studied using atomic absorption measurements. The relationship between metal concentration and parameters of semen analysis was studied. A high concentration of aluminium in spermatozoa was correlated with decreased sperm motility. The concentrations of cadmium and lead were low and did not show any correlation with parameters of semen analysis. Aluminium may be one of the environmental pollutants causing impaired semen quality. The mean sperm concentrations were similar in the factory employees (96 x 10(6)/ml), in the sperm donor candidates of the comparison group (104 x 10(6)/ml) and in 352 donor candidates at the sperm bank of the Family Federation of Finland (107 x 10(6)/ml) between May 1993 and May 1995.

The lead, cadmium and mercury concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney from Finnish pigs and cattle during 1987-1988.

The lead, cadmium and mercury concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney from Finnish pigs and cattle were determined. The average wet weight lead concentrations in pig muscle, liver and kidney were 15 micrograms/kg, 38 micrograms/kg and 40 micrograms/kg, respectively. The corresponding concentrations for cattle were 13 micrograms/kg, 57 micrograms/kg and 110 micrograms/kg. The average wet weight cadmium concentrations were 1.5 micrograms/kg, 28 micrograms/kg and 170 micrograms/kg (pigs) and 1.3 micrograms/kg, 61 micrograms/kg and 350 micrograms/kg (cattle). The corresponding mercury concentrations were 11 micrograms/kg, 12 micrograms/kg and 14 micrograms/kg (pigs) and 11 micrograms/kg, 12 micrograms/kg and 15 micrograms/kg (cattle). The average concentrations were at or above the detection limit of the metal in question. According to the results obtained by the National Veterinary Institute, the cadmium concentration in pigs and cattle has decreased during the period 1973-1988. The provisional tolerable daily intake of lead/person (60 kg), recommended by GEMS/Food, is 0.43 mg. According to the results for lead levels in these products in Finland, a daily intake of 29 kg pig muscle, 33 kg cattle muscle, 11 kg pig liver, 8 kg cattle liver, 11 kg pig kidney or 4 kg cattle kidney would be required to reach this norm. The corresponding provisional tolerable daily intake of cadmium/person (60 kg) is 0.06 mg and is equivalent to 40 kg pig muscle, 46 kg cattle muscle, 2 kg pig liver, 1 kg cattle liver, 0.4 kg pig kidney and 0.2 kg cattle kidney. The validity of the methods was tested four times a year using spiked check samples.