The lead, cadmium and mercury concentrations in muscle, liver and kidney from Finnish pigs and cattle were determined. The average wet weight lead concentrations in pig muscle, liver and kidney were 15 micrograms/kg, 38 micrograms/kg and 40 micrograms/kg, respectively. The corresponding concentrations for cattle were 13 micrograms/kg, 57 micrograms/kg and 110 micrograms/kg. The average wet weight cadmium concentrations were 1.5 micrograms/kg, 28 micrograms/kg and 170 micrograms/kg (pigs) and 1.3 micrograms/kg, 61 micrograms/kg and 350 micrograms/kg (cattle). The corresponding mercury concentrations were 11 micrograms/kg, 12 micrograms/kg and 14 micrograms/kg (pigs) and 11 micrograms/kg, 12 micrograms/kg and 15 micrograms/kg (cattle). The average concentrations were at or above the detection limit of the metal in question. According to the results obtained by the National Veterinary Institute, the cadmium concentration in pigs and cattle has decreased during the period 1973-1988. The provisional tolerable daily intake of lead/person (60 kg), recommended by GEMS/Food, is 0.43 mg. According to the results for lead levels in these products in Finland, a daily intake of 29 kg pig muscle, 33 kg cattle muscle, 11 kg pig liver, 8 kg cattle liver, 11 kg pig kidney or 4 kg cattle kidney would be required to reach this norm. The corresponding provisional tolerable daily intake of cadmium/person (60 kg) is 0.06 mg and is equivalent to 40 kg pig muscle, 46 kg cattle muscle, 2 kg pig liver, 1 kg cattle liver, 0.4 kg pig kidney and 0.2 kg cattle kidney. The validity of the methods was tested four times a year using spiked check samples.

In the past mycotoxins have been only an occasional minor problem for domestic animals in Finland. In 1982 a large number of intoxicated animals were suspected of being affected by mycotoxicosis. Later on imported maize was found to be the cause of the illness. After 2 years of investigations we concentrated our attention on Fusarium toxins, and in the autumn of 1984 we were able to detect the presence of trichothecenes in feeds. The rainy summer of 1984 created very favourable conditions for the growth of moulds. The production lines of some feed factories were contaminated by Fusarium fungi. The number of intoxicated animals increased drastically. Two strains of Fusaria were isolated at a feed factory. Since the trichothecenes have strong dermotoxic and cytotoxic effects, biological tests were used in this investigation. Capillary gas chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to identify and quantify the trichothecenes. Qualitative and quantitative results are presented together with the symptoms observed in the intoxicated animals. The reliability and the significance of the results have been discussed. Despite what has earlier been believed, itis evident from our results that trichothecenes are unstable in cereals and feeds. In fact, samples which originally proved to be toxic were found to be almost toxin-free after 3 to 6 months storage at +4°C.

A total of 120 normal slaughter cows were analyzed with respect to Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and Hg in muscle, liver and kidney. The cows orginated from 6 different slaughter-houses throughout the country. Imported cow livers, represented by 10 samples from Australia, 10 from Poland and 15 from Ireland, were also analyzed for comparison with the Finnish material. The Cu content in the Finnish animals turned out to be relatively low. The imported samples had even lower contents. There seemed to be no correlation between the Cu contents in muscle, liver and kidney. Statistical tests established that the mean Cu content in livers from Oulu was significantly higher than most of the others at the 5 % level. The Zn determinations revealed the highest amounts in the muscle. No correlation between the contents in muscle, liver and kidney was shown. The animals from Seinäjoki had the highest Zn contents, significantly different from most of the others. The imported livers did not differ much from the domestic ones as regards Zn content. The same was true for the Pb content. The correlation coefficients of Pb in muscle, liver and kidney were low. The animals from Kouvola contained the highest amounts of Pb, and the mean Pb content of these animals’ kidneys was significantly different from all the others. The Cd content was highest in the animals from Turku. A good correlation was observed between the Cd contents in liver and kidney. The Cd content of the imported livers was of the same order as that of the Finnish ones. No correlation was found between the Zn, Pb and Cd contents. The amounts of Hg in Finnish cattle were very low, especially so in animals from the North of Finland. The Hg content of the imported samples was of the same order as the figures recorded from the South of Finland.

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