The transition to non-lead sporting ammunition and fishing weights: Review of progress and barriers to implementation

Distribution of trace metals and metalloids in tissues of Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) from Southern Italy

Heavy metals and metalloids in the environment are recognised as a threat to the health of organism. Terrestrial birds are ideal subjects for the examination of these pollutants because of their high mobility and high intra- and interspecific variation in trophic levels. We examined the contents of 6 trace metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Sb and V) and metalloids (As) in the liver, kidney, muscle, and feathers of woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) from Southern Italy by a validated ICP-MS method. Significant differences in trace elements were found in all the tissues examined (p < 0.05). The highest Sb and Cr levels were found in feathers samples with mean values of 0.019 mg/Kg and 0.085 mg/Kg, respectively. High Pb levels were found in muscle, with 23 % of the samples exceeding the limits set by the European Union. Cd was predominantly found in the kidney samples (0.76 mg/Kg). Vanadium was the less abundant trace metal, showing the highest concentrations in the liver (0.028 ± 0.011 mg/Kg). Higher As levels were found in muscle (0.02 ± 0.015 mg/Kg). No significant differences between sex and age classes (juveniles vs. adults) were found, nor were there correlations between morphometric parameters and trace metal/metalloid contents. Principal Component Analysis determined differences in metal accumulation between tissues. Feathers were confirmed as useful indicators of metal contamination. The results of this work confirmed that the accumulation of toxic elements in the tissues of woodcocks is primarily influenced by ecological traits such as feeding habits and migration status. Statistical analysis of the tissues would seem to exclude important accumulation phenomena of Pb. The high levels found in the muscle could be due to lead ammunition. This work provides the first data on the accumulation of As, Cr, Sb, and V in woodcocks tissue, providing a more comprehensive insight into the potential impact of these pollutants on birds.

Wild and backyard food use during COVID-19 in upstate New York, United States

Introduction

COVID-19 acutely shocked both socio-economic and food systems in 2020. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on production and consumption of gardened produce, backyard poultry, wild game and fish, and foraged mushrooms, berries, and other plants in New York State, aiming to understand crisis influenced food choice and motivations, including food security.

Methods

We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey in October-December 2020 with a convenience sample of participants (n = 505) with an interest in gardening, poultry rearing, foraging, hunting, and/or fishing from six counties in upstate New York. We recruited through the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and other relevant email and social media pages.

Results

Across the wild and backyard food production strategies, 4.0-14.3% of respondents reported engaging for the first time and 39.6-45.7% reported increased production (a little or a lot more), and 31.6-42.7% of respondents' production was the same as the previous year. Consumption of foods produced was widespread, including fruit and vegetables (97.6% of producers also consumed), backyard eggs (92.7%), and foraged foods (93.8%). For meats, a majority consumed backyard poultry meat (51.2%), wild-caught fish (69.7%), and wild game they hunted (80.1%). The frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables (average of 13.5 times/month) and eggs (16.4 times/month) was very high, while average consumption of poultry meat, foraged foods, fish, and wild game ranged from 3.1 to 5.8 times/month. The number of respondents who reported "have more control over food availability" as motivation to produce all wild and backyard foods increased from 2019 to 2020 (p < 0.05 - p < 0.001). There was also a significant relationship between experiences of COVID-19 related hardship (i.e., food insecurity, income loss) with gardening and poultry-rearing (p ≤ 0.05), but not with other production methods or with consumption of wild and backyard foods.

Discussion

Our findings help to locate wild and backyard foods within COVID-19 impacted food environments, and describe food security as a particularly relevant motivation, among others, reported by respondents in 2020. Given this, New York State service providers can use these findings to tailor current future support for households exerting control over their own food environments with wild and backyard foods, allowing the state to be better prepared for future crises.

Genetically determined blood lead is associated with reduced renal function amongst individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus: insight from Mendelian Randomisation

Some observational studies indicate a link between blood lead and kidney function although results remain controversial. In this study, Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis was applied to obtain unconfounded estimates of the casual association of genetically determined blood lead with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Data from the largest genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on blood lead, eGFR and CKD, from predominantly ethnically European populations, were analysed in total, as well as separately in individuals with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) method, weighted median (WM)-based method, MR-Egger, MR-Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (PRESSO) as well as the leave-one-out method were applied. In a general population, lifetime blood lead levels had no significant effect on risk of CKD (IVW: p = 0.652) and eGFR (IVW: p = 0.668). After grouping by type 2 diabetes status (no diabetes vs. diabetes), genetically higher levels of blood lead had a significant negative impact among subjects with type 2 diabetes (IVW = Beta: -0.03416, p = 0.0132) but not in subjects without (IVW: p = 0.823), with low likelihood of heterogeneity for any estimates (IVW p > 0.158). MR-PRESSO did not highlight any outliers. Pleiotropy test, with very negligible intercept and insignificant p-value, indicated a low likelihood of pleiotropy for all estimations. The leave-one-out method demonstrated that links were not driven by a single SNP. Our results show, for the first time, that among subjects with type 2 diabetes, higher blood lead levels are potentially related to less favourable renal function. Further studies are needed to confirm our results. KEY MESSAGES: What is already known about this subject? Chronic kidney disease is associated with unfavourable lifestyle behaviours and conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Observational studies have reported an association between blood lead and reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate, but the relationship between lead exposure and renal function remains controversial. What is the key question? Using Mendelian randomisation with data from 5433 individuals from the UK and Australian populations, does genetically determined blood lead have a potentially causal effect on estimated glomerular filtration rate and the risk of chronic kidney disease? What are the new findings? Blood lead levels have a potentially causal effect on reduced renal function in individuals with type 2 diabetes. In subjects without diabetes, no such causal relationship was identified. How might this impact on clinical practice in the foreseeable future? This highlights the risk of elevated blood lead, for example, due to environmental exposure, amongst those with type 2 diabetes, which may predispose them to impaired renal function.

Until It's a regulation It's not my fight: Complexities of a voluntary nonlead hunting ammunition program

Wildlife and human health are at risk of lead exposure from spent hunting ammunition. Lead exposure persists for bald eagles due to bullet fragments in game animal gut piles and unretrieved carcasses, and is also a human health risk when wild game is procured using lead ammunition. Programs encouraging the voluntary use of nonlead ammunition have become a popular approach mitigating these effects. This study explored attitudes and experiences of United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff implementing an outreach program encouraging deer hunters to voluntary use nonlead ammunition on 54 National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Upper Midwest, U.S. to understand factors affecting program implementation. We conducted 29 semi-structured interviews of USFWS staff along with 60 responses from an open-ended survey question. Twelve themes emerged from the data and were grouped into three broad categories: (1) challenges of dealing with complex issues, (2) importance of messengers and messages, and (3) resistance from staff. Challenges of dealing with complex issues included administrative restraint and uncertainty, scope and scale of program, human health not an agency responsibility, contextual political influences, and public-private collaborations. Importance of messengers and messages included the importance of experience, and salience of human health risk. Finally, resistance from staff included skepticism of the science and motives behind the program, competing priorities for refuge staff, differing perceptions of regulatory and voluntary approaches, cost and availability of nonlead ammunition, and disregard by some about lead ammunition and human health risks. Staff identified numerous challenges implementing the program, many of which were external factors beyond the control of the participants. Understanding the factors affecting program implementation may help guide future efforts encouraging the voluntary use of nonlead ammunition.

Setting maximum levels for lead in game meat in EC regulations: An adjunct to replacement of lead ammunition

Each year, hunters from 12 of the 27 European Union (EU) countries and the UK shoot over 6 million large game mammals, 12 million rabbits and hares and over 80 million birds. They support an international game meat market worth over 1.1 thousand million Euros. Animals shot with lead ammunition frequently contain lead fragments in the carcass which contaminate meals made from game meat with concentrations of lead substantially above the maximum allowable level (ML) set by European Commission Regulation EC1881/2006 for meat from domesticated animals. This poses a health risk to frequent consumers of wild-shot game meat, with children and pregnant women being particularly vulnerable. Total replacement of lead rifle and shotgun ammunition with available non-toxic alternatives is needed for all hunting in EU nations to prevent exposure of humans and wildlife to ammunition-derived lead and to allow the depletion of the long-term environmental legacy of lead from spent ammunition. We propose that EC1881/2006 is amended to incorporate an ML for game meats as a supplementary measure to the replacement of lead ammunition. This would harmonise food safety standards for lead in meats traded across and imported into the EU.

Lead and Other Trace Elements in Danish Birds of Prey

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.