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Lead contamination in mining areas in Western Ireland II. —Survey of animals, pastures, foods and waters
Author(s) -
Donovan P. P.,
Feeley D. T.,
Canavan P. P.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740200111
Subject(s) - contamination , lead (geology) , environmental science , lead poisoning , environmental protection , environmental health , environmental chemistry , biology , chemistry , ecology , medicine , paleontology , psychiatry
Abstract The determination of detectable amounts of lead contamination in blood, foods and biological materials has been a recent problem in relation to the operation of lead mining in the West of Ireland. Following the mining activities, the incidence of lead contamination was investigated in the following ways: (i) lead values in viscera, blood and faeces of dead animals and control of lead contamination in blood, faeces and milk of live animals in mining areas; (ii) examination of pastures in areas adjoining mining operations and road dust; (iii) analysis of foods, milks and waters in the mine vicinity; and (iv) lead content in workers blood due to exposure in mines. Investigations under (i), (ii) and (iii) are dealt with in this paper. As a result of the toxicity results found in the laboratory, the mining authorities instituted precautionary steps in the mining operations to eliminate lead ‘fallout’.