Cadmium concentration in muscle, liver and kidney of sheep slaughtered in Falavarjan abattoir, Iran.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of cadmium in sheep's muscle, liver and kidney from Isfahan and also to compare them with the levels reported in several other countries and with the maximum tolerance levels for the human consumption. The samples of muscle, liver and kidney of 60 animals around 1 to 6 years old were collected from the carcasses slaughtered in Flavarjan abattoir, Isfahan. Samples (acid digested and cadmium concentrations) were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry (GFAAS). The mean fresh weight concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney were about 0.0017 mg/kg, 0.0743 mg/kg and 0.02290 mg/kg, respectively. The mean concentration of cadmium in tissue samples was generally lower than the maximum acceptable concentration in European Commission (EC). Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in cadmium concentration of liver and kidney between various age groups (p < 0.05).