Abstract:
The study pursued the hypothesis that bromine (Br) in drinking water at levels > 0.01 mg Br/L may have detrimental effects on the liver, kidneys and thyroid and the thyroid hormones T3 and T4 and that iodine (I) may alleviate the potential hazardous effect of Br. The research was done with mixed Ross broiler chickens over a 42-day post-hatch growth period. The trial design was six treatments, T1: 0 mg Br/L and 0 mg I/L; T2: 1 mg Br/L and 0 mg I/L; T3: 3 mg Br/L and 0 mg I/L; T4: 0 mg Br/L and 0.7 mg I/L; T5: 1 mg Br/L and 0.7 mg I/L; and T6: 3 mg Br/L and 0.7 mg I/L delivered via drinking water and three replicates per treatment with 30 birds per replicate. The effect of Br on T3 and T4 levels overall was non-significant, but T3 and T4 levels decreased between Weeks 4 and 6 with a significant effect at Week 6 on T3. Br had an overall effect on the thyroid gland (P = 0.0457), liver (P = 0.0025) and kidney (P = 0.0032), and had accumulated in these three organs. Histopathological assessment showed explicit damage to the livers that received the Br treatments. Iodine (0.07 mg/L) ameliorated the negative effects of high Br (3 mg/L Br) concentration and ingestion.
