Impact of Lead Pollution from Vehicular Traffic on Highway-Side Grazing Areas: Challenges and Mitigation Policies.

Summary

This narrative review examines lead pollution from vehicular traffic as a significant threat to livestock and human health in highway-adjacent grazing systems. The authors document the toxicological mechanisms by which chronic lead exposure impairs sheep and cattle through neurotoxicity, reproductive dysfunction, and immunosuppression, and highlight lead bioaccumulation through the food chain. The review advocates for an integrated approach combining phytoremediation, rotational grazing, mineral supplementation, and stringent regulatory frameworks to mitigate ecological and public health risks.

Regional applicability

The geography of the study is not specified in the metadata or abstract, limiting direct applicability assessment. However, the findings are relevant to United Kingdom pastoral systems, particularly grazing areas adjacent to motorways and high-traffic roads, where soil and forage lead contamination may pose similar livestock and food safety risks.

Key measures

Lead exposure pathways (soil, water, feed); bioaccumulation in lamb tissues; effects on livestock productivity, reproduction, immunity, and haematological markers

Outcomes reported

The review examined lead bioaccumulation in livestock grazing near highways, documenting neurotoxicity, reproductive harm, immunosuppression, and human food chain contamination risks. It synthesised mitigation strategies including rotational grazing, mineral supplementation, soil remediation, and regulatory approaches.

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