Lead exposure through consumption of small game harvested using lead-based ammunition and the corresponding health risks to First Nations in Alberta, Canada

Abstract

The harvesting of game birds, such as grouse, with small arms using lead ammunition continues to be common practice in Alberta, Canada. Grouse are routinely consumed as a subsistence traditional food by First Nations in Alberta and the use of lead ammunition increases the potential lead exposure through the consumption of residual bullet or shot fragments in the edible portion of the meat. After removal of visible shot and ammunition fragments, similar to how the samples would be prepared for consumption, impacted and non-impacted grouse breast meat samples were analyzed to characterize the lead content. Using publicly available consumption rates, the potential lead exposures from consumption of both impacted and non-impacted grouse breast meat were estimated and the corresponding health risks were predicted. Comparison of the predicted health risks revealed a significantly higher risk (p< 0.05) for the consumption of ammunition-impacted meat.

Keywords:

• heavy metal
• lead
• traditional food
• dietary exposure
• ammunition
• First Nations

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Traditional foods play an important nutritional, social, cultural and economic role for First Nations in Alberta, Canada. Hunting and subsistence harvesting are integral in food collection for many First Nations and small game is often harvested using lead-based ammunition, resulting in potential lead exposures when consumed. At low exposure levels, lead may affect the intellectual and behavioural developmental of infants and children and cause increased blood pressure in adults, presenting an elevated health risk to First Nations members. This study assessed the potential health risks from consumption of grouse meat impacted by ammunition through the use of measured lead concentrations in grouse meat harvested with leaded ammunition. The results identified that meat impacted by lead-based ammunition had significantly higher lead concentrations and supported the consumption of non-impacted meat as a good quality alternative to store-bought meats, highlighting the benefits of using unleaded ammunition.

Competing Interest

The authors declares no competing interest.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Elders and Harvesters from Swan River First Nation who graciously shared their food for the purpose of the study. The community retained Intrinsik Corp. to address their concerns regarding small mammal quality; the contribution of the collected information to the knowledge body of science is a tertiary benefit of the assessment. The authors also wish to thank Tim Riley and Bob Mitchell for harvesting the grouse that were photographed to illustrate the impacted and unimpacted samples. Funding for the SRFN study was provided by Health Canada’s First Nations Environmental Contaminants Program (FNECP).

Ethics statement

The study was completed under the Health Canada Research Ethics Board Approval Number 2015-013.

Correction

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Claire McAuley

Intrinsik Corp has significant expertise in the completion of Traditional Food Studies. Traditional or country foods are those foods harvested from the land or water, and include fish, large and small game animals, sea mammals, birds and plants. Our scientists, led by Claire McAuley, have completed numerous studies alongside First Nations across Canada. Swan River First Nation (SRFN) have completed investigations of their traditional food quality including moose, vegetation (medicines, teas, and berries), small mammals and fish. As part of these studies, Intrinsik (working with SRFN) evaluated risks from ingestion of harvested subsistence foods and provided assurances as to the quality and safety of locally sourced foods. The Traditional Food Studies involved the submission of food samples by trained community harvesters and analysis of trace contaminants (both organic and inorganic) and, in order to evaluate health risk, they involved the integration of community consumption rates obtained through surveys and interviews.