Potential Lead Exposure Through Eating Self-harvested Wild Game

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Lead; Toxicology

Treatments: Behavioral: Eating wild game shot with lead bullets

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02775890

1NMIT2016

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a clinical research protocol to determine the feasibility of assessing lead levels in hunters who use lead projectiles. This study will determine if it is possible to perform an interventional double-blind placebo-controlled study of lead levels in hunters using lead or lead-free projectiles following consumption of self-harvested wild game. The hypothesis for the subsequent study is that minute lead particles from shrapnel dispersed through the animal during harvest are ingested and result in increased lead serum levels. This current observational study establishes if this conclusive interventional study is possible through establishing if hunters using lead projectiles in New Zealand have elevated lead levels after eating animals harvested with lead projectiles. This study will be conducted in compliance with the protocol, Good Clinical Practice Standards, associated regulations and institutional research requirements.

This study aims to assess if hunters eating meat shot with lead projectiles experience elevated lead levels. Hunters will be asked to provide blood samples 2-4 days after they eat meat harvested with lead bullets and provide a subsequent sample when they have abstained from eating wild game harvested with lead bullets. We have chosen to use deer as the species for this study to reduce variation and New Zealand is the ideal place to conduct this study because of year-round hunting of deer. This design will allows paired testing of subject lead levels.

Enrollment: 68 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• New Zealand firearms license

Exclusion criteria

• Smoker

• Any type of kidney dysfunction

• Individuals working in the following industries that may entail lead exposure:

  1. lead-acid battery manufacture
  2. lead smelting
  3. non-ferrous smelting and casting (e.g. brass)
  4. steel scrap smelting
  5. scrap lead metal handling
  6. cutting/welding steel scrap
  7. machining or polishing lead-containing alloys
  8. plastic production (where lead compounds are used as stabilisers)
  9. demolition
  10. lead soldering
  11. plastic recycling
  12. panel beating
  13. paint removal
  14. sandblasting
  15. leadlight window manufacture
  16. lead casting, e.g. fishing weights, toy soldiers
  17. radiator repair,
  18. car exhaust repair and engine reconditioning (for older makes and models of vehicles)
  19. jewellery (silver) production
  20. shooting range

Trial design

68 participants in 2 patient groups

Eating lead-shot wild game

Description:

Hunters that have eaten lead-shot in the past week will have blood lead levels measured.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Eating wild game shot with lead bullets

Not eating lead-shot wild game

Description:

Hunters that have not eaten lead-shot in the past week will have blood lead levels measured.