Gebel T, Kevekordes S, Schaefer J, von Platen H, Dunkelberg H
Medical Institute of General and Environmental Hygiene (Abt. Allgemeine und Umwelthygiene), University of Goettingen, Germany.
Mutat Res. 1996 Jul 5;368(3-4):267-74. doi: 10.1016/s0165-1218(96)90068-3.
A part of Northern Palatinate country (Germany) was formerly influenced by mercury mining. Today, in many cases agricultural and housing areas are placed onto or near to former dump grounds of rubble. In the soil of these areas the concentration of mercury, arsenic and antimony was found ranging from basic natural contents up to strongly elevated levels. In a biomonitoring project, sheep bred on grounds contaminated with mercury (range 1-435 mg Hg/kg dry matter), arsenic (range 17-147 mg As/kg dry matter) and antimony (range 2-15 mg Sb/kg dry matter) were taken as example on the uptake of these elements from the environment and for possible effects of this exposure. Significantly elevated mercury levels were found in wool of one collective of exposed sheep (0.107 mg/kg mean vs. 0.048 mg/kg mean, p < 0.001, U-test). Surprisingly, the arsenic content of wool taken from sheep bred in the urban referential area was approx. 10 times higher than that of the sheep bred on the grounds contaminated with arsenic (0.57 mg/kg mean vs. 0.051 mg/kg mean, p < 0.001, U-test). In general, element concentrations in the examined blood samples were low and the differences between the collectives were small: mercury was found in concentrations ranging from 0.9 microgram/l up to 2.0 micrograms/l (means), arsenic and antimony were generally found in concentrations below 1 microgram/l. Neither in the alkaline elution technique nor in the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) analysis significant increases in the rate of DNA-damaging effects between the different sheep collectives were detected. This indicates that the transfer rate of genotoxic compounds of mercury, arsenic or antimony from the environment is too low to register effects with AFE and SCE although the soil was highly contaminated.
德国北普法尔茨州的一部分地区以前受到汞矿开采的影响。如今，在许多情况下，农业和居住区位于以前的碎石倾倒场之上或附近。在这些地区的土壤中，汞、砷和锑的浓度从基本的自然含量到大幅升高的水平不等。在一个生物监测项目中，以在受汞（范围为1 - 435毫克汞/千克干物质）、砷（范围为17 - 147毫克砷/千克干物质）和锑（范围为2 - 15毫克锑/千克干物质）污染的土地上饲养的绵羊为例，研究这些元素从环境中的吸收情况以及这种暴露可能产生的影响。在一组暴露的绵羊的羊毛中发现汞含量显著升高（平均0.107毫克/千克，而对照为0.048毫克/千克，p < 0.001，U检验）。令人惊讶的是，从城市参照区域饲养的绵羊身上采集的羊毛中的砷含量比在受砷污染土地上饲养的绵羊的羊毛砷含量高出约10倍（平均0.57毫克/千克，而对照为0.051毫克/千克，p < 0.001，U检验）。总体而言，所检测的血液样本中的元素浓度较低，不同组之间的差异较小：汞的浓度范围为0.9微克/升至2.0微克/升（平均值），砷和锑的浓度通常低于1微克/升。无论是在碱性洗脱技术还是在姐妹染色单体交换（SCE）分析中，都未检测到不同绵羊组之间DNA损伤效应发生率的显著增加。这表明，尽管土壤受到高度污染，但汞、砷或锑的遗传毒性化合物从环境中的转移率过低，以至于无法通过碱性洗脱技术（AFE）和姐妹染色单体交换（SCE）检测到影响。
