Copper and molybdenum

Copper (Cu) and the molybdenum (Mo) are among the elements essential for proper plant and animal metabolism. An imbalance of these two elements in the overburden-plant cover-grazer ecosystem is of concern in western mined-land reclamation. The interaction of Cu and Mo, as well as sulfide and sulfate, in ruminants can result in the metabolic unavailability of Cu. This disease is called molybdenosis. Symptoms of the disease include severe diarrhea, weight loss, color change, and roughening of the animal's coat. The condition occurs in locations where forage is naturally high in Mo and S and low in Cu. Outbreaks of the disease have been reported in California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and South Dakota. Mining can induce molybdenosis in areas previously free of the disease. Evidence of this has been found at a lignite ashing plant, a uranium mine, a clay pit area, and a uranium-bearing lignite area