Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Poultry Chicken

Globally, Heavy metals have been used by humans for thousands of years. The main threats to human health from heavy metals are associated with exposure to cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury. People may be exposed to potentially harmful chemical, physical and biological agents in food, air, water and soil. In the present study, concentrations of heavy metals (Cadmium, Lead, Copper, Nickel and Zinc) were determined in Poultry Chicken (Gallus domesticus) from selected areas in the cities like Karachi, Hyderabad and Thatta all in the province of Sindh. All samples showed presence of Cadmium, Lead, Nickel, Zinc and Copper. The levels recorded in the samples were under the permissible limits recommended by the WHO, FAO and ANZFA, except that in the samples from Karachi, the levels of Ni and Pb exceeded the maximum permissible limits in liver, meat and blood. The present study indicated that heavy metal contaminants come from unhygienic poultry feed material. The research techniques and information are helpful for graduate and research students of Biological and Environmental Sciences.