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Abstract
Jancová Á., Massányi P., Nad' P., KorénekováB., Skalická M., Drábeková J., Baláz I.: Accumulation of heavy metals in selected organs of yellov-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis). Ekológia (Bratislava), Vol. 25, No. 1, p. 19-26, 2006.
Concentration of copper, iron, manganese, zinc and cadmium in liver, kidney, testis and uterus of Apodemus flavicollis in relation to sex and locality were investigated. For analysis of the content of these trace elements an AAS method was used.
In the organs of A. flavicollis from (he area of power station Nováky almost in all cases higher concentration of observed elements than in the organs of animals from the area of nuclear power station Mochovce were detected.
The females of A. flavicollis from Nováky locality have shown significantly higher concentration of copper in uterus (p < 0.05) and in kidneys (p < 0.01), higher concentration of iron in kidneys (p < 0.01), higher concentration of zinc in kidneys (p < 0.01) and in liver (p <0.05) and higher concentration of cadmium in kidneys (p < 0.01) and liver (p < 0.01) in comparison with females from Mochovce locality. A higher level of manganese was recorded (p < 0.01) in kidneys of the females from Mochovce (0.3047 mg.kg^sup -1^). A higher concentration of zinc was found in the liver of the males from Nováky area (p < 0.05). On the contrary, there was significantly higher amount of zinc in the testis of A. flavicollis from Mochovce.
Key words: heavy metals, copper, iron, manganese, zinc, cadmium, Apodemus flavicollis, liver, kidney, testis, uterus
Introduction
Chemical production and burning of the fossils fuel is connected with the source of large amounts of toxic waste, especially sulphur oxides, nitric gasses and heavy metals emissions, which are toxic for all living organisms. Their danger has been related with food chain movement and with their ability to absorb and accumulate (Rous, Jelinek, 2000). The importance of monitoring and study of the heavy metal effects on living organisms has increased especially in the last decades. Their amount and sort has been increasing and is connected with gradual increase of their concentration in all part of environment.
Toxic elements from industrial fumes cause morphological changes and thus also physiological or genetic changes. Pathological changes are often related to...