In this chapter, a modest attempt has been made to study the heavy metal contamination including their bio-accumulation and toxic effects in our daily lives. It is the alarming hazards to the environment, especially in the industrial zones, that confirm the attention paid to these contaminants. The authors tried to determine the content of heavy metals (cadmium - Cd, lead - Pb, copper - Cu, zinc - Zn, nickel - Ni, manganese – Mn, and chromium - Cr) in the individual samples of cow milk from the farms in seven different localities. The distribution and dynamics of the determined heavy metals in the milk were recorded at different distances starting from the area of the industrial capacity. All the milk samples were analyzed properly, and the authors did chemical consumption and somatic cells and bacteria inside them. The findings were found within good agreements with others.
TopIntroduction
Nowadays, modern humanity is facing serious environmental challenges and conflicts in its millennial civilization, thanks to unscrupulous actions and deeds. The environmental pollution is a current global problem that poses a serious risk not only to humans but to the entire living world. The rapid pace of urbanization, industrialization and the use of chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides and drugs, resulting in increased contamination and environmental degradation, leading to a negative effect on the entire living world, disturbing the balance of ecosystems, endangering of human health and other living organisms and intensifying the loss of many vital resources (Mehri, 2004). Further, there are a lot of publications and annual reports, especially by the EU and other developed countries, which clarify that the adverse effects of pollution on humans and animals, in the form of specific chemical toxicity, behavioral changes, or population decline (such as Grue et al., 1997).
The name heavy metals are obtained because their density is higher than 5.0 g / cm3. The animals and plants absorb from the air, and then through the food has entered the body, where they inhabit the bodies, central nervous system and bones. These compounds are of anthropogenic origin, and their concentration in the environment is increasing due to urban, agricultural and industrial influences. Consequently, controlling the concentration of these elements in food is not only an important indicator of food quality, but also indirectly monitors the impact of these elements on soil, air and water, so that they are the primary indicators of the occurrence of pollution.
Heavy metals do not decompose in the environment, and some are bioaccumulative, i.e., they gradually accumulate in plants and animals and can not be excreted from them. Their non-degradability and potential for long-distance transport into the atmosphere show that the emission of heavy metals into the atmosphere affects even the most remote regions of the source of emissions. (Environmental Quality in RM, 2017 and references therein). Worldwide, more than six billion people use milk and dairy products as a major source of nutrients in the human diet. It is especially important in infant nutrition, as its protein and mineral composition is essential (Buldini et al., 2002). The mineral composition of milk includes several main elements such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, as well as potassium, sodium and chlorine and a wide range of trace elements, including zinc, copper, iron, manganese and iodine. Accumulation of heavy metals in the ecosystem (water, soil, plants and animals) causes great toxicity and leads to side effects in living organisms (Bogut et al., 2000). The presence of some polluting metals in the environment, especially cadmium, lead and nickel allows their easy distribution in the food chain, which increases the risk to human and animal health (Licata et al., 2004). Therefore, the presence of high concentrations of heavy metals in dairy products can be a potential risk for serious diseases and public health problems (Pavlovic et al., 2004) and for this reason the determination of heavy metal content in raw milk is an important indicator of the hygienic condition of this product, as well as the level of pollution in the region in which the milk is produced (Licata et al., 2004) & (Ghindini et al., 2005). According to some literature data, cow's milk contains very low concentrations of heavy metals (Lopez et al., 2002), which, however, sometimes increase, although their excretion through milk is proportionally low, but Nwude et al. (2010) found that blood is the major medium for transporting heavy metals in milk, so that milk can certainly be considered as a bio-indicator of industrial pollution.