Cambridge: Even if the flesh is carefully handled to remove the shotgun pellets and the most injured tissue, eating pheasants shot with lead shot is likely to expose consumers to higher levels of lead in their diet.
The findings were released in the journal PLOS ONE today.
According to a study, lead fragments too small to be felt or seen by hand and too far away from the shot to be removed without wasting a significant amount of otherwise edible flesh are found in high numbers in pheasants killed by lead shot.
When lead shotgun pellets strike the bodies of gamebirds, lead pieces frequently result. The pieces become deeply embedded in the meat.
Eight wild-shot common pheasants were investigated by researchers after being killed on a field shoot with lead shotgun ammunition and sold in a butcher shop in the UK. In addition, to lead shotgun pellets in seven of the pheasants, they discovered tiny lead bits implanted in every single one of them.
Per pheasant, the researchers discovered up to 10 mg of microscopic lead shards, all of which were far too small to be felt or seen.
There is no established safe threshold of exposure to lead because it is hazardous to people when ingested by the body. Over time, lead builds up in the body and can be harmful, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and harming the kidneys in adulthood. It is well documented to lower children's IQs and have an impact on an unborn child's brain growth.
People who consume pheasants and other similar gamebirds are extremely likely to also be swallowing a lot of microscopic lead particles, according to Professor Rhys Green, first author of the study and a member of the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge.
An earlier rat study showed that smaller lead pieces are more easily absorbed into the body when ingested than larger ones.
In the past, it appears to have been widely believed that lead shot embedded in a pheasant corpse would remain intact and could be removed safely before the pheasant was consumed, eliminating any health danger. This is actually not the case, as our investigation has demonstrated, according to Green.
"People unknowingly consume hazardous lead by eating pheasant," he continued.
"Two or three individuals can reasonably eat one pheasant. We know that thousands of individuals in the UK regularly consume game meat, typically pheasant, so consuming this much lead on occasion wouldn't be particularly alarming.
In the UK, around 11,000 tonnes of meat from wild-shot gamebirds--mostly pheasant--are consumed annually. In the UK, lead shot is used to kill almost all pheasants shot for food.
The lead fragments in the pheasant flesh were found in three dimensions by the researchers using a high-resolution CT (computerized tomography) scanner, and their size and weight were recorded. The larger shards could then be retrieved and further examined to confirm they were "lead" after the meat had been disintegrated.
Per pheasant, an average of 3.5 lead pellets and 39 lead fragments less than 1 mm diameter were found. The tiniest fragments were 0.07mm wide, which is near the CT scanner's maximum resolution for specimens of this size, and the researchers believe much smaller particles were also probably present.
The lead particles were dispersed widely throughout the tissues of the birds, and some of the small fragments were more than 50mm away from the closest lead shot pellet.
Because they are concerned about harming their teeth and are aware to look for lead shotgun pellets in the meat, it is uncommon for persons eating game meat to unintentionally consume an entire lead shot. However, the lead bits we discovered in the pheasant corpses were so minute and dispersed that it is highly improbable that they would be found and eliminated, according to Green.
Regarding the maximum permitted amounts of lead in human food derived from wild-shot game animals, neither the UK nor the EU has any laws. In contrast, many other items, such as meat from cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry as well as wild-caught shellfish, have tight maximum lead levels.
Lead shotgun pellets are a realistic alternative, and the UK shooting organizations advise using steel shotgun pellets instead of lead for hunting. But there isn't much proof that people are giving up the lead voluntarily. The European Chemicals Agency is now putting together a case for prohibiting the use of lead ammunition for hunting in Europe, and the UK's Health & Safety Executive is doing the same for the UK.
Lead shotgun pellets are also frequently used to kill other game, such as partridge, grouse, and rabbit, while lead bullets are frequently used to kill wild deer. In order to make deer carcasses lighter to carry, hunters frequently remove the guts. These abandoned guts, which frequently contain numerous bullet fragments, are then consumed by wildlife, who subsequently suffer the negative effects of ingesting lead. —ANI