High human exposure to lead through consumption of birds hunted with lead shot

Johansen, Poul; Asmund, Gert; Rigét, Frank

doi:10.1016/s0269-7491(03)00255-0

Cited by 66 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…En efecto, el perdigón o la bala pueden dejar trazas metálicas durante el impacto con la presa [46][47][48] , en especial cuando alcanzan tejidos duros como el hueso, restos de plomo que no son siempre retirados (por su pequeño tamaño) antes de la consumición 49 . El problema se ha puesto de manifiesto con aves cazadas con Pb 13,[49][50][51] , pero potencialmente puede tener lugar con cualquier especie cinegética 47 , incluidos los grandes ungulados 48 . Consecuencia de ello, el plumbismo o la exposición anómala al Pb entre los seres humanos 11,12,47,52,53 .…”

Section: Vía Digestiva Directa: Ingestión De Plomo Metálicounclassified

¿Es el plomo empleado en deportes (caza, tiro y pesca deportiva) un problema de salud pública infravalorado?

Guitart¹,

Thomas²

2005

Rev. Esp. Salud Publica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

INTRODUCCIÓNEl plomo (Pb) es el metal pesado que históricamente más problemas sanitarios y de contaminación ha causado en el mundo [1][2][3][4] . A pesar de las muchas medidas adoptadas en contra de su utilización en las últimas dos o tres décadas 1,2,[4][5][6] , su pertinaz presencia en el aire, suelo, agua y alimentos sigue considerándose todavía un factor de riesgo de primera magnitud, en especial para niños 1,3,5 y para algunos animales silvestres 4,6,7 . No en vano, hasta principios del siglo XX fue, tras el hierro, el segundo metal más empleado, y RESUMENLa munición y los pesos empleados en actividades recreativas como la caza, el tiro y la pesca deportiva han sido fabricados tradicionalmente con plomo. En España la caza y el tiro son responsables de la dispersión en la naturaleza de cerca de 6.000 toneladas anuales del metal pesado, mientras que podemos estimar en 100 las aportadas por pescadores deportivos a las zonas acuáticas. Las pocas medidas legales que varios países han adoptado en contra del uso del plomo en esos deportes se han basado en las pruebas irrefutables que indicaban que cada año fallecían intoxicadas millones de aves, que ingerían inadvertidamente esos pequeños objetos de plomo hallados abandonados en sus hábitats naturales. En este trabajo se discute si el enfoque conservacionista que se ha dado hasta ahora al problema resulta adecuado, y si las evidencias de los daños sobre los seres humanos son o no suficientes para extender todavía más esas medidas de prohibición, en especial teniendo en cuenta que en niños se considera que no hay dosis de exposición segura. Se concluye que en algunos aspectos los datos ya existen, aunque en otros los estudios tóxico-epidemiológicos son todavía escasos, sugiriendo que al tema se le ha prestado poca atención. En cualquier caso, resulta preocupante constatar que el principio de precaución no se ha aplicado para solucionar un problema cuyos efectos sanitarios serán más a largo plazo que inmediatos.Palabras clave: Perdigones de plomo. Pesos de pesca. Contaminación por metales pesados. Campos de tiro. Salud humana. ABSTRACT Is Lead Used in Sports (Hunting, Shooting and Angling) an Underestimated Public Health Problem?Ammunition and fishing weights used in recreational hunting, shooting and fishing sports have been made traditionally with lead. In Spain, for example, hunters and shooters are responsible for the dispersion of some 6.000 tonnes of the heavy metal yearly, into wetland and dryland areas, and an estimated 100 tonnes are contributed by anglers to the aquatic zones. The few legal measures that several countries have adopted banning the use of the lead in these sports are based on the irrefutable proof that every year millions of birds were poisoned lethally, due to the inadvertent ingestion of lead shot and sinkers found in their habitats. We analyzed whether the present conservationist approach to the problem is suitable, and if the evidence of damage to human beings is, or is not, sufficient to warrant even more prohibitive measures, especial...

show abstract

Section: Vía Digestiva Directa: Ingestión De Plomo Metálicounclassified

¿Es el plomo empleado en deportes (caza, tiro y pesca deportiva) un problema de salud pública infravalorado?

Guitart¹,

Thomas²

2005

Rev. Esp. Salud Publica

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lead paint is rare in Alaska since 93% of the homes were built after 1950. Studies from other Arctic regions suggest diet as a possibility, although occasional reports exist of situational lead exposure at indoor firing ranges and through medicinal use (2)(3)(4)(5)16,17). Lead IR analysis is often used for identifying sources of lead exposure (13)(14)(15).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent evidence suggests that consumption of birds hunted with lead shot may be a route of human lead exposure in susceptible populations (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Studies have demonstrated high concentrations of lead in waterfowl (e.g., swan, geese, ducks) that ingest lead shotgun pellets deposited on the bottoms of lakes and in fields (6)(7)(8).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of lead isotope ratios to identify sources of lead exposure in Alaska Natives

Patel

Adrianne

Jones

et al. 2008

International Journal of Circumpolar Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives. Although banned nationwide for waterfowl hunting, lead shot is still used for hunting in regions of Alaska. Consumption of birds hunted with lead shot may be a route of human lead exposure in susceptible populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Alaskan health officials conducted a cross-sectional exposure assessment and used isotope ratios (IR) to test that assumption. Study Design. Cross-sectional exposure assessment study. Methods. We compared isotopic profiles of blood lead in Alaska Native women from Bethel (n=10) and Barrow (n=10) to lead shot samples purchased from the respective regions. To evaluate the source of lead for the buckshot, we evaluated IR profiles for lead mineral and ore from a smelter in Torreon, Mexico, a suspected source of origin for the lead. Results. The lead IRs for the blood lead differed significantly from the lead shot IRs (p< 0.001); thus, lead shot is unlikely to be the sole source of lead exposure of public health significance in participants of this study. Overlap in IRs for the lead shot and blood lead existed for 6 (30%) of the women from Bethel and Barrow; however, no correlation was noted between lead levels and the IRs for the blood lead. IR profiles for lead mineral and ore from Mexico were substantially different from the IRs of lead shot from Alaska, confirming that buckshot in this study is unlikely to originate from the Mexican smelter. Conclusions. Lead shot from the manufacturer in this study does not appear to be the sole source of lead exposure in most participants; nonetheless, lead shot could yet be a potential source of exposure in some populations, possibly those whose diet consists of game hunted with lead shot.

show abstract

“…It is well recognized that Pb shot and bullets can suffer from fragmentation on impact with game animals. This can result in quite widespread contamination around wounds and increase the risk of exposure to Pb in human consumers of game meat (Hunt et al, 2009;Johansen et al, 2004;Pain et al, 2010;Scheuhammer et al, 1998). Moreover, common recipes that use acidic ingredients, like vinegar or wine, to cook game meat can further increase the transfer of Pb from ammunition to the meat and enhance the subsequent bioavailability of that Pb (Mateo et al, 2007.…”

Section: Risk For Human Consumersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing Pb poisoning in birds and Pb exposure in game meat consumers: The dual benefit of effective Pb shot regulation

Mateo

Vallverdú-Coll

López-Antia

et al. 2014

Environment International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of lead (Pb) ammunition in the form of shot pellets has been identified as a Pb exposure risk in wildlife and their human consumers. We explore the hypothesis that Pb shot ban enforcement reduces the risk of avian Pb poisoning as well as Pb exposure in game meat consumers. We assessed compliance with a partial ban on Pb shot commencing in 2003 by examination of 937 waterbirds harvested by hunters between 2007 and 2012 in the Ebro delta (Spain). Prevalence of Pb shot ingestion was determined, as were Pb concentrations in liver and muscle tissue to evaluate the potential for Pb exposure in game meat consumers. Hunted birds with only embedded Pb shot (no steel) declined from 26.9% in 2007-08 to b2% over the following three hunting seasons after ban reinforcement. Pb shot ingestion in mallards decreased from a pre-ban value of 30.2% to 15.5% in the post-ban period. Liver Pb levels were predominantly defined by the presence of ingested shot, whereas muscle levels were defined by the presence of both ingested and embedded shot. Only 2.5% of mallard muscle tissue had Pb levels above European Union regulations for meat (0.1 μg/g wet weight) in the 2008-09 season, when Pb shot ingestion prevalence was also at a minimum (5.1%). Effective restrictions in Pb ammunition use have a dual benefit since this reduces Pb exposure for game meat consumers due to embedded ammunition as well as reducing Pb poisoning in waterbirds.

show abstract

High human exposure to lead through consumption of birds hunted with lead shot

Cited by 66 publications

References 10 publications

¿Es el plomo empleado en deportes (caza, tiro y pesca deportiva) un problema de salud pública infravalorado?

¿Es el plomo empleado en deportes (caza, tiro y pesca deportiva) un problema de salud pública infravalorado?

Use of lead isotope ratios to identify sources of lead exposure in Alaska Natives

Reducing Pb poisoning in birds and Pb exposure in game meat consumers: The dual benefit of effective Pb shot regulation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About