Author(s)

Gaukhar Konuspayeva, Stefan Jurjanz, Gerard Loiseau, Vincent Barci, Shynar Akhmetsadykova, Aliya A. Meldebekova, Bernard Faye

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In Kazakhstan, camel breeding mainly occupies areas sometimes close to polluting industries or other sources of pollu- tion as industrial agriculture, mainly cotton. Products issued from camel farms close to these sources as camel raw milk and fermented milk (shubat), wool and meat, traditionally used by humans could be contaminated. We investigated camel raw milk and fermented milk for the content of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, zinc and copper), radionuclide and some organic pollutants (PAHs, pesticides and indicator PCBs) in samples from different regions with a priori high risk of pollution (Atyrau, Kyzylorda, South-Kazakhstan and Almaty region). In the present paper, only some milk samples presented high lead concentration (> 500 ppb). After analysis for organic pollutants, it was observed some traces of hexachlorocyclohexane, lindane, hexanchlorothalonil in milk samples from different regions. One sample was also slightly contaminated with radionuclide. These preliminary results allow establishing a first map of risk for camel farming. As the whole, South-Kazakhstan appeared the most exposed region.

Camel Milk, Pollutant, Heavy Metal, Pesticides, Radionuclides

G. Konuspayeva, S. Jurjanz, G. Loiseau, V. Barci, S. Akhmetsadykova, A. Meldebekova and B. Faye, "Contamination of Camel Milk (Heavy Metals, Organic Pollutants and Radionuclides) in Kazakhstan," Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 2 No. 1, 2011, pp. 90-96. doi: 10.4236/jep.2011.21010.