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<article xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="1.0" article-type="healthcare" lang="en"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">IJCRR</journal-id><journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">I Journ Cur Res Re</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title>International Journal of Current Research and Review</journal-title><abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="pubmed">I Journ Cur Res Re</abbrev-journal-title></journal-title-group><issn pub-type="ppub">2231-2196</issn><issn pub-type="opub">0975-5241</issn><publisher><publisher-name>Radiance Research Academy</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">138</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi"/><article-id pub-id-type="doi-url"/><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="heading"><subject>Healthcare</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title>EVALUATION OF MERCURY (HG) AND ARSENIC (AS) RESIDUES IN ORGANS AND MUSCLES OF SLAUGHTERED PIGS AT NSUKKA SLAUGHTER HOUSE IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA&#13;
</article-title></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Obioha</surname><given-names>Felix Chidiebere</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Obodoechi</surname><given-names>Lynda Onyinye</given-names></name></contrib><contrib contrib-type="author"><name><surname>Ukoha</surname><given-names>Johnbosco Chinwuba</given-names></name></contrib></contrib-group><volume>)</volume><issue/><fpage>26</fpage><lpage>32</lpage><permissions><copyright-statement>This article is copyright of Popeye Publishing, 2009</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2009</copyright-year><license license-type="open-access" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><license-p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.</license-p></license></permissions><abstract><p>Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the presence and concentration of mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in organs and tissues of slaughtered pigs in Nsukka slaughter house.&#13;
Methodology: From a total of 110 slaughtered pigs, liver, kidney and muscle samples of each pig were collected and analyzed for the detection of mercury and arsenic residue using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer.&#13;
Results: A prevalence rate of 66.4% and 29.1% were recorded for mercury and arsenic respectively. The level of mean concentrations of arsenic in kidney, liver and muscle were 0.0016mg/kg, 0.0025mg/kg and 0.0012mg/kg respectively. While level of mean concentrations of mercury were 0.0009mg/kg, 0.0010mg/kg and 0.0006mg/kg in kidney, liver and muscle respectively. There was a significant difference (P__ampersandsignlt; 0.05) in the concentration of arsenic and mercury in liver, kidney and muscle samples of the different age groups of the slaughtered pigs.&#13;
Conclusion: The levels of mercury and arsenic in few samples that exceeded the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) may pose human health threat to pork consumers in the study area.&#13;
</p></abstract><kwd-group><kwd>Arsenic</kwd><kwd> Heavy metal</kwd><kwd> Kidney</kwd><kwd> Mercury</kwd><kwd> Residues</kwd></kwd-group></article-meta></front></article>
