Free-range poultry farming in a lowland suburban area increased the health risk of heavy metal contamination

Uncontrolled waste disposal allows the release of various contaminants into the local environment and food chain. The purpose of this study was to assess lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) contamination in backyard poultry reared in a suburban area of Palembang, Indonesia. Meat, liver, and feathers from broiler chickens, backyard chickens and ducks (Anas platyrhynchos f. domestica), as well as feed and water samples, were subjected to Pb and Cd analysis by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The heavy metal levels in meat, liver, feed, and water samples were lower than tolerable maximum limits, and health risk assessment did not indicate harm for consumption. Only one duck had a higher Pb level in the liver than the permissible limit. The Pb and Cd levels in the meat samples did not differ between the poultry species (P > 0.05), whereas Pb levels in feathers were highest in backyard ducks and lowest in broiler chickens. (P < 0.05). In the liver, Pb and Cd levels were higher in backyard chickens and ducks than in broiler chickens (P < 0.01). The higher heavy metal concentrations in the backyard poultry might relate to the age of the animals and the contaminated household area.