Effect of a metal mixture in diet on the toxicokinetics and toxicity of cadmium, mercury and manganese in rats.

The purpose of this work was to determine whether a metal mixture added to diet influences the toxicokinetics and toxicity of some elements. The metal mixture (MM) used in these experiments was ash (slag) from a coal gasification plant. The effect of this mixture (5 percent in diet) on the toxicokinetic and on the acute or subchronic toxicity of Cd, Hg, Mn was determined in rats of different ages. Rats were exposed for five weeks in toxicokinetic and six weeks in acute toxicity experiments. Sucklings were exposed through their mothers, which received the MM in diet over the pregnancy and lactation period. In toxicokinetic studies, half of the animals additionally received Cd, Hg or Mn (100, 50 or 2000 ppm, respectively) in drinking water. In subchronic experiments, six-week-old albino rats of both sexes were given MM in the diet and Cd, Hg or Mn in drinking water for 16 weeks. In toxicokinetic studies, 115mCd, 203Hg or 54Mn were administered orally or intraperitoneally to mothers and pups. Exposure to MM had no effect on the absorption, retention and organ distribution of these elements determined six days after radioisotope administration. In acute toxicity studies, exposure to MM in diet had no effect on LD50 values obtained eight days after oral administration of Cd, Hg or Mn to rats of different ages. In subchronic experiments, the effect of individual metals (Cd, Hg or Mn) was similar in animals with and without simultaneous exposure to the metal mixture (only a slight potentiation of a few health-effect parameters of cadmium was noticed in some animals). It is concluded that oral exposure to MM in the diet had almost no effect on the toxicokinetics and toxicity of Cd, Hg and Mn. This could be explained by the low level or low bioavailability of elements from MM, by the metal-metal interaction within the mixture or by the choice of health effect indicators determined. These results are presented as one of the potential approaches for studying the health effect of a metal mixture as occurring in the environment.