Cadmium in organs and tissues of horses slaughtered in Italy

The cadmium content of muscle, liver, kidney and blood samples from 62 horses slaughtered in Italy was investigated. Cadmium was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) after wet digestion of the samples. The mean and median contents of all samples were (on a fresh weight basis) 75 and 41 mu g kg(1) for muscle, 2.46 and 2.10 mg kg(1) for liver, 20.0 and 13.5 mg kg(1) for kidney. The cadmium level in blood samples was always below 6 mu gl(1). The cadmium concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney were found to be related to the life span of the specimens and increased with age. Females exhibited higher levels than males, but this difference was significant only in the case of muscle tissue. The geographical origin was recognized as the main factor influencing the cadmium content of the equine specimens analysed. The differences between horses coming from the three main breeding countries considered in this study (Poland, Lithuania, Hungary) were marked and statistically significant. The average intake of cadmium from equine meat was estimated for the general population and for population groups resident in areas with high consumption of this food item. While the cadmium intake from equine meat for the average consumer accounts for about 1% of the total cadmium intake estimated for Italy, in the latter case the enhanced consumption of equine muscle is often accompanied with the consumption of substantial quantities of equine liver and this may lead to high cadmium intakes.