Wildlife as a Biomonitoring Model of Terrestrial Cadmium (Cd)

Kidneys of Female Wildlife Reflecting the Environmental Cd.

Abstract

Information on anthropogenic Cd in local area is important for public health, food hygiene and ecosystem. Bioaccumulation of Cd and zinc (Zn) by wild pteridophytes, harvested farm plants, wild boars and raccoon dogs were measured in a local area of the southern part of the Hiroshima Regional Urban Area for 3 years from 2017 to 2019. Pteridophytes concentrated Cd and Zn exponentially with the wide range of individual value, whereas the concentration ratio of Cd to Zn was constant and 1 to 106±79 (N=18). The farm plants (N=16) and wild boar muscle (N=17), which are the foodstuff of residents, concentrated the metals less than 0.025mg/kg for Cd and 89.0mg/kg for Zn. Females of wild boars (N=19) and raccoon dogs (N=7) accumulated Cd in their kidneys, the values of which were correlated to those of Zn. The mean value of Cd/Zn in muscle was lower than that in kidney of wild boars (p<0.05). The accumulation of Cd with the correlation to Zn among the examined organisms indicated that the concentrations of Cd utmost 20.6 mg/kg in kidney were the results of chronic exposure for years. These data could be useful for the risk communication of Cd between residents and researchers.