Determination of Heavy Metal Residues in Slaughtered Camels at Sokoto and Gusau Modern Abattoirs, Nigeria

Background. Heavy metals can pose health risks to both animals and humans. Objectives. To determine the concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr) in samples taken from the kidney, liver, muscle, hide, and blood of camels slaughtered at both Sokoto and Gusau modern abattoirs. Methods. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Cr in tissues and organs of camels slaughtered at both Sokoto and Gusau modern abattoirs were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. A total of 120 samples were collected. Results. All the samples collected tested positive for Pb, Cd and Cr. The overall mean concentrations of Pb, Cd and Cr in tissues and organs of slaughtered camels at Sokoto modern abattoir ranged from 0.11 mg/kg to 0.35 mg/kg, 0.05 to 0.8 mg/kg and 0.41 to 0.59 mg/kg, respectively, while at Gusau modern abattoir, the overall mean concentrations of Pb, Cd and Cr ranged from 0.20 mg/kg to 1.17 mg/kg, 0.01 to 0.14 mg/kg and 0.13 to 0.51 mg/kg, respectively. Discussion. The concentration of Pb ...