Heavy Metals In Game Meat

Heavy metals are ubiquitous in the environment and can thus enter the food chain. Furthermore, anthropogenic activities can further increase the entry of heavy metals into foods. The consumption of contaminated foods may consequently have an adverse effect on the health of the consumers.Toxicological reference values for commonly found heavy metals in food, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, copper and zinc, are available and their main dietary sources known. Game meat is known to exhibit sporadically elevated levels of lead due to the use of lead ammunition in hunting. Other heavy metals can also show slightly higher levels in game as compared to livestock meat, although there is considerable variation. However, in contrast to the case for livestock meat, only maximum levels for mercury (0.01 mg/kg) and copper (0.01 mg/kg) can be found in European regulations for game meat.Lead in game meat was chosen as a case study to illustrate the impact of lead bullets/ammunition on the level of contamination in comparison with non-lead ammunition. A significant difference between lead and non-lead shot animals was found for roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). There was no difference between sexes, but older lead-shot roe deer showed slightly lower levels of lead in some body parts. The level of 0.1 mg/kg - the regulatory limit for lead in livestock meat - was exceeded in 19% of roe deer and in 22% in wild boar in the samples taken from the area close to the wound channel. Lead was not evenly distributed in the animals, with the most elevated levels close to the wound channel. Replacing lead ammunition with non-lead ammunition can reduce the entry of lead into game meat. The choice of the appropriate bullet construction may further limit lead entry. The bioavailability of lead can further be influenced by the ageing of game meat and the preparation of the meal, for instance through marinating the meat. For the average consumer of game, with a consumption of one to two portions per year, this consumption does not add considerably to the average dietary exposure to lead. However, for high end consumers such as hunters and their families, with up to 91 meals of game per year, the additional exposure can be significant.Particularly, pregnant women and their unborn babies as well as young children have been identified as vulnerable groups. Other wild animal species such as wildfowl, waterbirds and birds of prey are at risk of lead poisoning, and their situation further supports the replacement of lead bullets.