Results of analysis of red blood cells in cows and sheep in areas exposed to attack using depleted uranium ammunition

Abstract

The paper presents the results of preliminary examinations of the red blood cell count in sheep and cows raised in areas that were exposed to the effects of depleted uranium ammunition during the NATO bombing of the country in 1999. Samples of blood, soil, vegetation and feeding stuffs were collected in the course of 2003. The results show that sheep from areas bombarded with ammunition containing depleted uranium have a significantly lower count of erythrocytes (p lt 0.001) and hemoglobin concentration (p lt 0.001), as well as a smaller packed cell volume (p lt 0.001) than control groups of animals which are not from this area. The calculated hematological indexes (MCV and MCHC) indicate that sheep from the examined area suffer from macrocytic hypochromic anaemia. Cows from the same locations also have a significantly lower count of erythrocytes (p lt 0.001), hemoglobin concentration (p lt 0.05), and a significantly smaller packed cell volume (p lt 0.05) than cows of the control group, and are just below the level of being anaemic. The calculated hematological indexes show that erythrocytes of cows from this area are normal in size and are normally filled with hemoglobin. In all examined samples of soil, vegetation and feeding stuffs, the 235U content was below the minimum detected concentration (MDC), while the measured concentrations of other natural and produced radoinucleids (137Cs) were within the range of mean values measured in regional soil samples, with the exception of lower 40K concentrations.

U radu smo naveli rezultate preliminarnih ispitivanja crvene krvne slike ovaca i krava uzgajanih na terenima koji su bili izloženi dejstvu municije sa osiromašenim uranijumom, tokom NATO bombardovanja 1999. godine. Uzorci krvi zemlje, vegetacije i hraniva prikupljeni su tokom 2003. godine. Rezultati pokazuju da ovce koje potiču sa terena bombardovanih municijom sa osiromašenim uranijumom imaju značajno manji broj eritrocita (p lt 0.001) i koncentraciju hemoglobina (p lt 0.001), kao i nižu hematokritsku vrednost (p lt 0.001), nego kod životinja kontrolne grupe koje nisu sa ovog područja. Izračunati hematološki indeksi (MCV i MCHC) ukazuju da ovce sa ispitivanog područja imaju makrocitnu hipohromnu anemiju. Krave koje potiču sa istih lokacija, takođe, imaju značajno manji broj eritrocita (p lt 0.001) koncentraciju hemoglobina (p lt 0.05) i značajno nižu hematokritsku vrednost (p lt 0.05) od krava iz kontrolne grupe, i na granici su anemičnog stanja. Izračunati hematološki indeksi ukazuju da su eritrociti krava sa ovog područja normalne veličine i da su normalno punjeni hemoglobinom. U svim ispitanim uzorcima zemljišta, vegetacije i hraniva, sadržaj 235U je bio ispod minimalne merne koncentracije (MDC), dok su se izmerene koncentracije ostalih prirodnih i proizvedenih radionuklida (137Cs) nalazile u opsegu srednjih vrednosti izmerenih u uzorcima zemljišta u regionu, osim znatno nižih koncentracija 40K.