Effects of Daily Supplementation with High Dose Ascorbic Acid on Blood Lead Levels in Broiler Chicken after Intentional Exposure to a Concentrated Source of Lead

Lead toxicity is an important global public health issue. The present study was conducted to determine the amount of lead deposited in chicken blood after intentional exposure to a concentrated source of lead for 1 week and to determine the effect of 4 week daily supplementation with high dose ascorbic acid (AA) on the blood lead levels in broiler chicken. Clinically normal mixed-breed adult laying chickens were used in this study. Chickens received lead acetate (200 mg/kg/day) for 1 week. A group of chicken received AA (500 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks. Another group did not receive any treatment for another 4 weeks. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for blood lead levels using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The baseline blood lead level was 47.5 ± 38.0 µg/L and increased significantly to 2755 ± 576 µg/L after 1 week of lead acetate treatment (P < 0.001). AA treatment reduced blood lead levels significantly (P < 0.05). Supplementing lead-contaminated feed with daily high doses of AA might protect from lead exposure when chickens are exposed to environmental pollution.