Implications of excessive livestock mineral supplementation on environmental pollution and human health

Abstract:

Trace elements are essential to maintain physiological functions and it is well demonstrated that certain mineral supplementation in livestock can improve productivity. Mineral supplements are routinely incorporated into concentrate feed, even when not necessary, at doses largely (up to 10-fold) exceeding the physiological requirements; this is possible because there are fairly wide "safety margins" to avoid mineral toxicity, even though toxic effects on animals can appear when given at supra-optimal concentrations. A significant proportion of minerals that are given to livestock are excreted into urine and faeces, and this proportion increases as the margin of mineral supply over mineral requirement increases. This chapter addresses the main consequences of excessive livestock mineral supplementation on environmental pollution, the toxic effects on susceptible species when exposed to mineral enriched-slurries, and the pros and cons for human health of consuming animal products with a high mineral content © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Año de publicación:

2012

Keywords:

Fuente:

scopus