Cadmium and lead in livestock feed and cattle manure from four agricultural areas of Bursa, Turkey

The cadmium and lead contents in cattle manure taken from four agricultural areas, exposed to different degrees of environmental pollution, and also the livestock feeds grown in those places, were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The levels of cadmium and lead contamination in the manures of the cattle, fed in areas far from industries, traffic and urbanization, were less than in manures obtained from sampling areas closer to heavy traffic and industrial activities. The highest heavy metal content was found in cattle manure collected from the heavy traffic region, followed by the industrial and rural regions, respectively. Among the live stock feeds used in the present study, the highest levels of lead were found in grass; and the lowest ones were obtained from the straw samples