Gavrilović, Damjan Borjan, Nikola Babić, Milenko Krnjaja, Ognjen Dojčinović, Slobodan Bajčić, Aleksandar Petrović, Zoran eng Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology Meat technology - Special Issue 66/3 2025 volume: 66 number: 3 startpage: 506 endpage: 510 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:8652 doi:10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.87 The aim of this study was to assess the level of cadmium (Cd) contamination in the liver and muscle tissue of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) from three different locations in Serbia: Belegiš, Pločica, and the Vršački ritovi. A total of 55 samples were analyzed, collected dur- ing 2024. Cadmium concentrations were determined using the ICP-MS method following microwave digestion of the samples. The highest mean concentration in the liver was record- ed at the Belegiš site (0.643 mg kg−1), while the highest average value in muscle tissue was measured in Pločica (0.021 mg kg−1). Although no statistically significant differences were found between locations, 40.7% of liver samples exceeded the reference value of 0.5 mg kg−1 established for poultry, indicating a potential risk to human health. This study highlights the importance of wild birds as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution and the need for continued monitoring of cadmium presence in wildlife. Cadmium, Mallard, Liver, Muscle, Biomonitoring info:eu-repo/semantics/article http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode 2025-12-01 application/pdf 440018 bytes Cadmium bioaccumulation in the liver and muscle tissue of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) as bioindicators of environmental pollution in Serbia