Monitoring of selected heavy metals, hematological and biochemical indicators in the blood of lacting dairy cows from the area of the active copper industry

There is a well-developed copper industry in Poland. Copper mining and processing involves processes that emit numerous chemical pollutants, including heavy metals, into the environment. Blood was collected once in the summer of 2021 and 2022 from dairy cows (aged 3–5 years) kept in small herds in the Legnica-Głogów copper district (Lower Silesia, Poland). Selected toxic metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) were determined in the whole blood of the cows, whereas hematological parameters (WBC, RBC, PLT, MCV, MCH, MCHC), biochemical parameters (AST, GGT, TAS) and minerals (Ca, Fe, Mg, P inorganic) were measured in their blood serum. Generally, the indicators assessed were within reference values (with a few exceptions, e.g. Zn) and generally similar to those in cows kept in typically agricultural areas. This was also true of the toxic metals. The results provide no indication that the copper industry (LGOM) has a negative impact on the physiological condition of cattle.