EN
The level of accumulation of selected heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, As) in horse tissues belonging to four age groups, each containing 20 horses, was studied in order to determine the relationship between age and level of meat contamination. The content of the above mentioned elements was analyzed in horses killed between 2002 and 2005 to determine any year-to-year increase. In order to determine the chemical composition of the meat a sample was taken from the longissimus dorsi muscle at the height of the last thoracal vertebrae. The study showed that meat contamination rose with the age of horses and additionally depended on the year of killing.