Assessment of the Impact of Environmental Pollution With Heavy Metals on Sheep Reared at Bahr EL-Bakar Region

Environmental pollution became one of the majorproblems facing public health as various types of humanactivities produce large amounts of wastes. Soil, air and waterhave traditionally been used as sites for disposal of all wastesleading to their contamination. Due to rapid increase inpopulation, Egypt is expanding its agricultural land inspite oflimitation of water sources, which require reuse of drainagewater for irrigation. Reusing of drainage water without suitabletreatment may cause adverse effects on soil, crop, animal, andhuman health. One of the most polluted drains in Egypt, thatused unofficially for irrigation is Bahr El-Bakar drain, Bahr El-Bakar drain system is anoxic over its entire length, it carry amixture of different discharges including sewage, agriculture andindustrial ones, it contains many types of pollutants. the greatestthreats arise from heavy metals especially lead and cadmium, aswell as different types of pathogens. Despite of these facts thiswater was used for the irrigation of lands and drinking ofanimals as in Bahr El-Bakar region where Bahr El-Bakar drainand its tributaries were passed . Though drinking contaminatedwater and eating contaminated herbage for long periodnegatively affect animal health performance and the farmers hadsuffered seriously from this problem, which has caused majoreconomic losses.Lead and cadmium are the two most abundant toxicmetals in the environment. The eo exposure to these two toxicmetals has synergistic cytotoxicity leading to hematological,pathological and biochemical alterations in exposed animals.