Blood lead level in dogs from urban and rural areas of India and its relation to animal and environmental variables

Lead is a common environmental pollutant with deleterious health effects on human and animal. Industrial and other human activities enhance the lead level in the environment leading to its higher residues in exposed population. The present study was aimed at determining blood lead concentration in d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Science of the total environment 2006-04, Vol.359 (1), p.130-134
Main Authors: Balagangatharathilagar, M., Swarup, D., Patra, R.C., Dwivedi, S.K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Blood lead level
Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases
Cities
Dogs
Dogs - blood
Environmental Monitoring
Environmental Pollutants - blood
Female
India
Lead - blood
Male
Medical sciences
Metals and various inorganic compounds
Toxicology
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Summary:Lead is a common environmental pollutant with deleterious health effects on human and animal. Industrial and other human activities enhance the lead level in the environment leading to its higher residues in exposed population. The present study was aimed at determining blood lead concentration in dogs from two urban areas and in surrounding rural areas of India and analyzing lead level in dogs in relation to environmental (urban/ rural) and animal (age, sex, breed and housing) variables. Blood samples were collected from 305 dogs of either sex from urban ( n = 277) and unpolluted rural localities ( n = 28). Irrespective of breed, age and sex, the urban dogs had significantly ( P < 0.01) higher mean blood lead concentration (0.25 ± 0.01 μg/ml) than rural dogs (0.10 ± 0.01 μg/ml). The mean blood lead level in stray dogs either from urban or rural locality (0.27 ± 0.01 μg/ml) was significantly ( P < 0.01) higher than that of pets (0.20 ± 0.01 μg/ml), and the blood lead concentration was significantly higher in nondescript dogs (0.25 ± 0.01 μg/ml) than pedigreed dogs (0.20 ± 0.01 μg/ml). The locality (urban/rural) was the major variable affecting blood lead concentration in dogs. Breed and housing of the dogs of urban areas and only housing (pet/stray) in rural areas significantly ( P < 0.01) influenced the blood lead concentration in dogs.
ISSN:0048-9697
1879-1026
DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.09.063