Status of arsenic in certain feeds, water and animals of Bareilly and Mukteswar region

Samples of commonly used feeds and fodders (maize grain, bengal gram, wheat bran, deoiled soybean meal, berseem fodder, maize fodder, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse), ground water, sausage and serum samples of dogs from Bareilly and serum of heifers and goats from Mukteswar, Uttarakhand, India were analyzed for their arsenic (As) content. Among different feeds and fodders, As content was highest in the wheat straw (771 ppb) and lowest in the Bengal gram (170 ppb). The mean As contents in the ground water samples of Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar and Bareilly city were 45 ppb and 62 ppb, respectively. The mean As concentration in the serum samples of goats, heifers and dogs were 142, 169 and 164 ppb, respectively and 88 ppb in the sausages indicating their continuous As exposure either through feed or water.