Lead and Other Trace Elements in Danish Birds of Prey

Abstract

Lead is a widely used and toxic heavy metal that poses a serious hazard to wildlife species and their ecosystems. Lead is used for production of hunting ammunition. Via gunshot or rifle projectiles, it spreads in ecosystems and may end up in predators and scavengers feeding on wounded or dead animals shot with lead-based ammunition. To assess to what degree Danish raptors are subject to lead contamination, we measured the content of lead in liver tissue from Danish birds of prey ( n = 137). Additionally, the study included values for 54 other trace elements. In our analysis, emphasis was put on interpretation of lead levels. Levels of cadmium, mercury and selenium were also discussed, while data for the remaining elements were provided for reference purposes. Bismuth was included to assess if lead originated from bismuth gunshot used as an alternative to lead shot. Concentrations of lead, cadmium, mercury and selenium were generally below the levels in similar studies of birds of prey in other northern European countries and none exceeded known and generally accepted threshold values for adverse health effects. As for lead, this is possibly related to the phase out of lead shot for hunting since 1986. The study confirms results from other studies showing that bismuth shot contains traces of lead that is deposited with bismuth in the target animal. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00244-019-00646-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Concentration of Trace Elements in Raptors from Three Regions of Slovakia, Central Europe

“…Another study conducted in Eastern Poland revealed Hg concentration in livers of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) with mean values of 300 and 466 ppb ww in the northern and southern region, respectively [31]. In another study, carried out in Denmark, sparrowhawks and white-tailed eagles showed significantly higher mercury concentrations in their livers (average values of 1 280 and 1 210 ppb ww) than other raptor species included in the research [32]. The highest individual level of mercury in our study (1 135 ppb ww) was measured in the liver of B. rufinus (long-legged buzzard) from a locality situated in the Slovak-Polish border and belonged in Region III (Table 2).…”

“…Contrary, in other species of birds of prey much lower cadmium concentrations were measured [29,31]. Also, in another recent study, Kanstrup et al (2019) revealed significantly higher cadmium concentrations in livers of common buzzards and tawny owls than in kestrels, goshawks and white tailed eagles [32]. In Galicia, Spain, the mean hepatic concentration of Cd was highest in owls, with mean concentrations moved between 3 381 and 5 516 ppb dw, and the highest rate of 39 890 ppb dw (13 297 ppb ww after conversion) measured in one barn owl (Tyto alba), when compared with diurnal raptor species [38].…”

Concentration and origin of lead (Pb) in liver and bone of Eurasian buzzards (Buteo buteo) in the United Kingdom

“…To this we added results for buzzards from Denmark, which were reported by Kanstrup et al (2019) after the systematic review had concluded. We followed Monclús, Shore & Krone (2020) in multiplying the mean value of Kanstrup et al Our study and that of Pain, Sears & Newton (1995) both suggest that exposure to Pb may have caused some buzzard deaths in the UK, but the proportion cannot be estimated reliably.…”

Intoxicação por chumbo: conflitos ambientais na América do Sul e perspectiva sob a conservação de aves silvestres

“…Em um estudo com Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis foi encontrado concentração de chumbo de 50,7 μg/dL em um animal com sinais de intoxicação, enquanto a maioria dos expostos não apresentavam sinais clínicos tiveram dosagem de Pb abaixo de 20 μg/dL (Sriram, et al, 2018). Em tecidos hepáticos as concentrações de Pb atingem níveis de intoxicação subclínica de 2,0 a 6,0 ppm, intoxicação clínica de 6,0 a 15,0 ppm e envenenamento clínico severo em concentrações acima de 15,0 ppm (Kanstrup, et al, 2019;Herring & Eagles-Smith, 2017).…”

“…Um estudo realizado por Kanstrup et al (2019) comprova que a redução progressiva do chumbo em munição para caça, desde 1986, gerou redução dos níveis de Pb em aves de rapina dinamarquesas, visto que de todas as amostras de tecido hepático coletadas, apenas cinco excederam concentrações de 1 ppm e uma excedeu o critério para intoxicação subclínica de 2 ppm. Binkowski et al (2016) apresentaram resultados positivos para chumbo no sangue com concentração de 0,241 μg/g de peso úmido, entretanto as amostras indicam que o Pb não é proveniente de projéteis, devido à grande quantidade de outros minérios.…”