Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 104 05, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2019 Oct;77(3):377-389. doi: 10.1007/s00244-019-00654-5. Epub 2019 Jul 16.
Patterns of lead and other trace metals were examined in 122 Eurasian eagle owls Bubo bubo found dead in Sweden in the period 1978-2013. Environmental lead (Pb) has decreased over recent decades from reduced anthropogenic emissions but mortality by Pb poisoning is still frequently reported for avian raptors and scavengers exposed to Pb ammunition. One objective here was to determine if Pb concentrations in a nocturnal non-scavenging raptor follow the general decline observed in other biota. Pb concentration in owl liver was significantly correlated with body weight, sex, latitude, longitude and season. Pb showed a significant decreasing trend towards north and west. Starved birds had significantly higher concentrations. Total Pb concentrations in liver averaged 0.179 μg g dry weight (median 0.103) and decreased by 5.6% per year 1978-2013, or 5.3% after adjustment for confounding factors, similar to trends in other species. Among 14 other trace elements only antimony and arsenic showed decreasing trends. Lead isotope ratios Pb/Pb and Pb/Pb increased from 1.138 and 2.408 in 1978-1985 to 1.170 and 2.435 in 2010-2013, respectively, demonstrating that the decreasing Pb concentration in eagle owl is related to the phase-out of leaded gasoline in Europe, where Pb additives had much lower isotope ratios than natural lead in Swedish soils. Only one incidence of suspected Pb poisoning (40.7 μg g in liver) was observed indicating that poisoning from ingestion of metallic lead is rare (< 1%) in eagle owl in Sweden, in contrast to what has been reported for eagles.
1978 年至 2013 年间，在瑞典因自然原因死亡的 122 只欧亚雕鸮（Bubo bubo）体内的铅和其他痕量金属元素模式得到了研究。近几十年来，由于人为排放量的减少，环境铅（Pb）含量有所下降，但接触含铅弹药的鸟类猛禽和食腐动物仍经常发生 Pb 中毒死亡。本研究的目的之一是确定在不食腐的夜间猛禽中，Pb 浓度是否会随其他生物群的普遍下降而下降。雕鸮肝脏中的 Pb 浓度与体重、性别、纬度、经度和季节呈显著相关。Pb 浓度具有向北和向西显著下降的趋势。饥饿的鸟类体内 Pb 浓度显著更高。肝脏中总 Pb 浓度的平均值为 0.179μg/g 干重（中位数为 0.103），1978 年至 2013 年间每年下降 5.6%，经混杂因素校正后为 5.3%，与其他物种的趋势相似。在 14 种其他痕量元素中，只有锑和砷呈下降趋势。Pb/Pb 和 Pb/Pb 的同位素比值分别从 1978-1985 年的 1.138 和 2.408 增加到 2010-2013 年的 1.170 和 2.435，表明雕鸮肝脏中 Pb 浓度的降低与欧洲含铅汽油的淘汰有关，欧洲含铅汽油中的 Pb 添加剂的同位素比值远低于瑞典土壤中的天然 Pb。仅观察到一起疑似 Pb 中毒的病例（肝脏中 40.7μg/g），这表明在瑞典，雕鸮因摄入金属 Pb 而中毒的情况非常罕见（<1%），这与鹰类的情况形成了对比。
