Impacts of Minerals Arising From Industrial Effluents on Animal Health & Production

Introduction

Industrial effluents are the discharges from various industries which have have been found in different water resources. Industrial effluents are now-a-days very often polluted by high levels of toxic metal ions due to increasing use of metals in different fields like mining & smelting of metalliferous ores, surface finishing industry & application of fertilizers & pesticides, iron & steel metallurgy, electroplating, electrolysis, electro-osmosis, leatherworking (tannery), photography , metal surface treating, aerospace & atomic energy plants. Consumption of such contaminated water influences animal health & production.

Effect of different minerals present in industrial effluents

Heavy metals are those having density >5g/cm³ & are toxic even at ppb level. Examples include Pb, As, Hg, Cd, Zn, Ag, Cu, Fe, Cr, Ni, Pd, Pt. These are non-biodegradable & therefore tend to bioaccumulate & most of them are known to be carcinogens & create adverse ill effect on health & production of animals.

Heavy metals induces detrimental effects, including developmental toxicity, cell death, neuro-toxicity, oxidative stress & immunotoxicity, impaired cardiovascular effects, changes in animal behavior, irregularity in estrus cycle, infertility, production of poor quality semen & impairment of locomotor activity and so on. Heavy metal poisoning can be caused by industrial exposure, contaminated air, water, food cycle, medicines etc.

Generally; following minerals arising from industrial affluent are known to affect animal health & production are- Pb, As, Hg, Cd, Zn, Ag, Cu, Fe, Cr, Ni, Pd, Pt, Al, V, F, Li, B.

1. Arsenic (As): Produce Gastro-enteritis (Rice-watery diarrohea) & some nervous signs like depression, incoordinate gait, convulsions etc. , brick red mucus membrane. In pigs chronic Arsenic poisoning leads to demyelination of nerve fiber so produce sitting dog posture & tying up condition in horses.
2. Mercury (Hg): Characterized by inflammation of alimentary mucosa & damage to kidney & clinically manifested by gastroenteritis with hematemesis (by inorganic mercury form), Neurological signs like ataxia, incoordination, convulsion, abnormal behavior etc. (by organic mercury form), Pulmonary symptoms like dyspnea (by elemental form) & terminally mercury poisoning signs is manifested by uremia.
3. Lead poisoning (Pb) (Plumbism): Involvement of GIT & nervous system. These include ataxia, blindness, salivation, spastic twitching of eyelids, muscle tremors , jaw champing & convulsions. In chronic cases, progressive wasting of animal, anemia. In dogs & horses; slate-coloured lead line of PbS on the gum margins.
4. Cadmium (Cd): Cadmium has higher affinity for proteins & damages mucous membrane of GIT & Respiratory tracts. Cd also damages hepatic & renal tissues. Cadmium toxicity is clinically manifested by vomition, abdominal pain, diarrohea, loss of appetite, dyspnea, coughing, pulmonary oedema. Chronic poisoning will results in severe anemia, proteinuria, retarded growth & osteoporosis.
5. Copper (Cu): Produces molybdenum deficiency in sheep, progressive hepatic damages, renal failure due to clogging of renal tubule with hemoglobin and necrosis of renal tubules & glomerulus. Affected animal faeces contain mucus & are of deep green color, port-wine color urine, severe anemia due to hemolytic crisis.
6. Flouride (F): MPL(Maximum Permissible Limit) is 40-50ppm for cattle & 200 ppm for chickens. Fluorine interfere with absorptions of cations like Calcium, magnesium, manganese; therefore produce symptoms associated with deficiency of these elements. Excessive intake of fluoride results into Dental & skeletal fluorosis along with periodic & intermittent moving type lameness  Clinically manifested as diagonal walking, reduced appetite, difficulty in mastication, mottling of teeth, brown staining of teeth, hypoplasia of enamel & dentine.
7. Zinc (Zn): Excess zinc intake will results in irregular estrus cycle & Infertility in females animals. Zinc toxicity is also known to cause Dag effect in the spermatozoa therefore increase the chances of repeat breeding in animals. Signs progress from anorexia, vomiting, diarrohea, letharginess to the more advanced signs such as intravascular hemolysis, icterus, cardiac arrhythmias & seizures. Large animal often shows decrease in weight gain & milk production & lameness has been reported in foals secondary to epiphyseal swelling.
8. Aluminium (Al): Clinical signs include retarded growth, seizures, convulsion & muscle twitching, which resolved gradually after removing the cause
9. Chromium (Cr): chronic chromium toxicosis would result in skin-contact dermatitis, irritation of respiratory passage, ulceration & perforation of the nasal septum & lung cancer.
10. Boron (B): High boron intake has been shown to be detrimental to riboflavin; inducing riboflavinuria. Therefore produces symptoms associated with riboflavin (vitamin B₂) deficiency like curled toe paralysis in chickens.
11. Iron (Fe): Excessive intake of iron will result into deposition of storage form of iron in liver, spleen & kidney known as “siderosis”. High iron take also inhibit copper & phosphorous absorption therefore produces symptoms associated with deficiency of such elements. It also damages intestinal mucosal cells.
12. Phosphorous (P): effluents coming from fertilizer industry contain phosphorous , which can produce symptoms like abdominal pain, colic, profuse luminous vomitus, severe diarrhoea (often hemorrhagic) & garlic-like odor breath. In chronic cases it creates a condition known as phossy jaw.
13. Lithium (Li): In cattle signs of intoxication are salivation, depression, anorexia, hypodipsia, anuria, diarrhoea, ataxia, drowsiness, loss of body mass, seizures & dullness etc.

Conclusion

As industrial effluent contains so many toxic elements. In order to avoid any impact on animal health & production; industrial effluent must be treated well before their release into water bodies, to nullify the effect of undesirable by products.