Short-Term Health Effects Of Copper, Lead And fire Smoke On Sprague-Dawley Rats
The toxicological effects of copper, Cu, lead, Pb, and fire smoke were determined comparatively in this study. Cu and Pb were selected due to their abundance in ambient air bound to conjugates of PMlO (US EPA, 1986). Cu is released to the atmosphere in association with particulate matter (Damero...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
2006
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/6390/1/FPSK%28M%29_2006_5.pdf http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/6390/ |
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| Summary: | The toxicological effects of copper, Cu, lead, Pb, and fire smoke were
determined comparatively in this study. Cu and Pb were selected due to
their abundance in ambient air bound to conjugates of PMlO (US EPA, 1986).
Cu is released to the atmosphere in association with particulate matter
(Dameron and Howe, 1998; ATSDR, 2004). The level of Pb in the air is
considerably high in the urban region especially due to automobile emission
and industrial wastes. Smoke from open burning contains particulate matters
that conjugate with Pb emitted from the automobile fires. contamination by
Pb and Cu, besides a few other metals, appears to be significant in water runoff
from these types of fires (Lonnermark and Blomquist, 2005).
Attempts were made at determining the effects of these three types of
environmental pollutants, namely, copper, lead and fire smoke on three
independent groups of Sprague-Dawley rats. Thirty-two 11-week-old rats (16
male and 16 female) were allocated each for copper and lead treatment
groups. Fifty rats (25 male and 25 female) were allocated for the fire smoke
exposed group. The copper and lead administered groups were subdivided
into 4 different concentrations, being 0 parts per million (ppm), 200 ppm, 350
ppm and 500 ppm respectively. Copper was administered in the form of
copper(I1) sulphate solution while lead in the form of lead acetate solution,
both orally in fixed volumes of 250 mL and ad libitum for 4 consecutive days
during which all rats were closely monitored for macroscopic lesions and
behavioural abnormalities.
The rats were anaesthetised for cardiac puncture via which adequate volume
of blood was collected for serum chemistry to determine levels of alanine
aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline
phosphatase (ALP), cholesterol, albumin, triglyceride, high density
lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), blood urea nitrogen
(BUN) and total protein and to prepare thin blood smears for differential
white blood cell (WBC) counts. The liver and kidney specimens were
subjected to macrosopic and microscopic examinations.
The modes of exposure for the fire smoke treated rats was via inhalation and
ingestion of the particulate matters found in the smoke that sediments into
the drinking water or feed of the rats. Smoke was induced in a
microenvironment (with a volume of 2.16 m3) in which the rats were exposed
for 4 consecutive days. These rats and their relevant specimens were also
subjected to similar macroscopic and microscopic examinations.
Basically, the concentrations of the selected serum parameters in all control
rats were not observed to be within the reference range. In the treated groups
(all three categories), a common dose-response relationship could not be
generated from the readings obtained. No significant difference was
observed statistically (based on ANOVA) among the readings of serum
parameters in rats given 200 ppm, 350 ppm and 500 ppm of copper@)
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sulphate to that of the control rats except the mean of ALP concentration. It
was significantly different from the control group at p< 0.05. The lead acet-a-te
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treated rats showed significant differences among the groups given 200 ppm,
350 pprn and 500 ppm in their levels of ALT, AST, ALP, cholesterol and HDL
with p-values of 0.013, 0.009, 0.034, 0.002 and 0.003 respectively (The mean
difference is significant at ~ ~ 0 . 0 5T.h)e re was not any detectable amount of
copper and lead in the samples of fire smoke including water samples that
were directly exposed to the smoke. The fire smoke exposed rats showed
significant differences in AST, ALP, albumin and triglyceride HDL with pvalues
of 0.003, 0.006, 0.006 and 0.000 respectively (the mean difference is -
significant at p<0.05). None of the rats from the treated or exposed groups
showed abnormal WBC count when compared to the reference range. There
was no statistical significance either when compared to the control group of
rats at p<0.05. No marked macroscopic or microscopic lesion was observed
in almost 96% of the rats experimented with their liver and kidney
specimens. The cholesterol level was significantly increased in all rats
including that of the control rats. Conclusions are made that a short-term
exposure of 4 days did not induce any significant toxicokinetics that could
affect the health of the treated rats. An association between the toxicity of
copper, lead and fire smoke cannot be made either because there was no
detectable amount of copper or lead in the fire smoke. |
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