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Investigation of the bioavailability of lead as a function of the particle size of lead-containing bullet fragments in game meat by feeding trial

Project

Food and consumer protection

This project contributes to the research aim 'Food and consumer protection'. Which funding institutions are active for this aim? What are the sub-aims? Take a look:
Food and consumer protection


Project code: BfR-SiN-08-1322-701
Contract period: 01.01.2018 - 31.12.2019
Purpose of research: Experimental development
Keywords: game meat, lead-contamination, bioavailability, food chain safety

The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has determined that game meat can be contaminated with fragments from ammunition to such an extent that food hygiene measures can not guarantee the full removal of these particles (BfR, 2014). The BfR has informed in various events about the issue and released recommendations for the hunting community about how to reduce or completely avoid these contaminants. Taking this into consideration, random sampling of wild game meat should be made possible in the future. For a pre-study, a standard operating procedure was developed for routine investigations of wild animals killed by hunting using radiological methods for the detection of bullet residues in the different stages of processing of the animal. Department 7 of the BfR is currently evaluating the images. The goal of the evaluation is to determine the amount, size, and distribution of bullet fragments. Although hunters are advised to remove destroyed tissue and bullet fragments according to good hunting practice, there is no rule requiring the removal of destroyed tissue and bullet fragments within a certain radius. Results of the LEMISI study (BfR 2014) show that the lead content of game meat decreases with increasing distance to the wound channel. Lead ammunition had the least effect on the lead content in the haunch of roe deer, more distinct in the back and the most significant effect in the wound channel. However, the results also reveal the need for more detailed data about the lead gradient around the wound channel in order to quantify the contamination of game meat with lead in various distances to the wound channel. Therefore, it is planned to determine the lead content of game meat samples in cooperation with Department 7 using ICP-MS and TOF-SIMS. The aim of this investigation is the derivation of a lead gradient describing the decrease of the lead content with increasing distance to the bullet hole. The data serves as a basis for a recommendation for hunters for cutting out the wound channel in a ceratin radius in game animals that were killed with lead ammunition. In addition, the study allows a comparison of the two analysis methods. The BfR investigated the influence of different types of cooking procedures on the bioavailability of lead in game meat (2015, unpublished data). Meat from deer shot with common lead ammunition was cooked and fed to domestic swine in an approved feeding study. Afterwards, blood was taken from each animal to determine the lead content. The projects mentioned above underline the fact that there is a need for more detailed knowledge about the abrasion and fragmentation behaviour of lead bullets in game animals in the form of frequency distributions of the fragment sizes and masses for a further understanding of bioavailability and toxicokinetics. The findings of the studies mentioned above are the basis of the planned study. The behavior of elemental lead in meat has been well studied. If elemental lead splinters are directly exposed to gastric acid, less and less lead dissolves over time because the surfaces of the splinters are passivated by the separation of insoluble lead chloride (Hecht 2000). Throughout the process of meat maturation, proteins from the muscle tissue react with lead (Mateo et al. 2011). Consequently, part of the lead transitions to other more soluble chemical binding forms with an increased bioavailability. Pickling with wine or vinegar marinade increases the bioavailabilty of lead as well (BfR 2015). The aim of the proposed project is to obtain more detailed information on the influence of the particle size of lead fragments, which also depends on ballistic parameters, and on the actual bioavailability of lead compounds that are actually present wild game meat. Using the data concerning the amount, size and distribution of lead bullet fragments, two size categories will be selected for spiking game meat portions. These game meat portions will be cooked in the way mentioned above that is known for increasing the bioavailability of lead. After feeding the leaded portions to domestic swine, blood samples will be taken from each animal determine how the lead content in the blood correlates with the tested particle size and how the size ultimately affects the bioavailability of lead. BfR (2014): Forschungsprojekt „Lebensmittelsicherheit von jagdlich gewonnenem Wildbret“ (LEMISI) - Abschlussbericht des BfR vom 19. Dezember 2014. BfR (2015): Ermittlung des Einflusses küchenmäßiger Zubereitungen von Wildbret auf die Bioverfügbarkeit von Rückständen bleihaltiger Geschosse im Tierversuch am Modelltier Schwein. Unpublished data, Dissertation in Vorbereitung. Hecht, H (2000): Auswirkungen der Geschoßwahl auf die Bleibelastung des Wildbrets. Tagung für die Jägerschaft, 15. und 16.02.2000. BAL Gumpenstein. Mateo, R et al. (2011): Bioaccessibility of Pb from Ammunition in Game Meat Is Affected by Cooking Treatment. Plos One 6(1): e15892.

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BMEL Frameworkprogramme 2008

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