Is game meat consumption associated with lead levels in nails?

摘要

Background: Wild game meat consumption is a popular habit in many regions in south Brazil, despite the hunting activity be prohibited all over the country. Lead bullets fragments are frequently found in game meat and can be incidentally ingested, causing health risks. Unlike blood, that gives transitive lead concentration, the measurement of Pb in nails is considered to reflect long-term exposure. Aims: This study evaluate the association between game meat consumption and long-term lead concentration in fingernail. Methods: Fingernails samples were collected using clean stainless steel scissors, from 43 participants recruited in five rural areas of south Brazil. Enrolled subjects live in areas prone to have game (wetlands) and the neighbors were used as controls as well a sample of 18 practitioners of outdoor shooting. Socio-demographic status, lead exposure source and frequency and type of wild game consumptions where also collected. Mass Spectrometry technique after sample digestion with Tetramethylammonium hydroxide was used to measure Nail-Pb. Results: Most of the participants were males (65,6%), declared itself as white (78.9%) and have low educational level (less than 8 years - 38.2%). Despite 70.5% lives in rural areas, only 59% are farmers. 36.7% of the subjects declared to hunt and 74.6% declare do eat game, being duck, quail and wild boar the most prevalent. There was a significant difference between lead levels in nails between sex (men= 3.34μgg, women=0.36μgg; p t-test=0.02), but not between hunters (ANOVA p= 0.61) or eating game subjects (ANOVA p=0.35). Conclusions: The habits of hunting or consumption of wild meet seem not to be associated to a higher exposure to lead South Brazilian population. Men were more chronically exposed to lead than women.