Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Grenåvej 14, DK-8410 Rønde.
Aarhus University, Department of Bioscience, Grenåvej 14, DK-8410 Rønde.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 Apr 20;714:136876. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136876. Epub 2020 Jan 22.
Use of lead shot for hunting was banned under legislation on 26 Ramsar sites in Denmark from 1986, based on evidence of poisoning in waterbirds ingesting lead shot and high lead shot pellet densities in Danish wetland sediments caused by intensive hunting. To assess the fate of lead shot from hunting prior to 1986 and the degree to which such shot remains available to waterbirds, this study replicated the survey of shot pellet densities in substrates in Ringkøbing Fjord undertaken in the late 1970s. 287 shotgun pellets (282 lead, five steel) were recovered from 123 sediment samples at four locations, equivalent to a mean of 127 pellets m in the top 20 cm of the sediment at the four locations, in certain hot spots equating to >250 kg lead ha, broadly similar to densities found in the 1970s. Possible explanations were given for the persistence of such high lead shot densities despite >30 years of regulation, during which time steel shot has been widely used as the alternative to lead. Field experiments showed that steel shot corroded in the marine environment, which likely contributes to lower steel shot densities found in this study. It is concluded that lead gunshot pellet dispersal and accumulation in natural ecosystems remains as a persistent and irreversible hazard to wildlife and ecosystems. Based on these Danish experiences, it is urgently recommended that international and national bodies in countries where hunting with lead shot continues recognise these results and act to prevent the accumulation of this toxic metal.
自 1986 年起，丹麦立法禁止在 26 个拉姆萨尔湿地使用铅弹狩猎，这一禁令是基于水鸟摄入铅弹导致中毒以及在密集狩猎活动下丹麦湿地沉积物中铅弹密度较高的证据。为了评估 1986 年之前狩猎用铅弹的去向以及这些铅弹在多大程度上仍可被水鸟利用，本研究复制了 20 世纪 70 年代末在林克宾湾进行的基质中铅弹密度调查。在四个地点的 123 个沉积物样本中回收了 287 个霰弹枪铅弹（282 个铅弹，5 个钢弹），相当于四个地点表层 20 厘米内每平方米有 127 个铅弹，在某些热点地区，铅含量高达 >250 公斤/公顷，与 20 世纪 70 年代的密度大致相似。尽管 30 多年来一直受到监管，期间已广泛使用钢弹作为铅弹的替代品，但仍存在如此高的铅弹密度，本研究对其原因进行了探讨。野外实验表明，钢弹在海洋环境中会腐蚀，这可能导致本研究中钢弹密度较低。因此得出结论，铅弹在自然生态系统中的散布和积累仍然是野生动物和生态系统面临的持久且不可逆转的危害。基于这些丹麦的经验，我们强烈建议继续使用铅弹狩猎的国家的国际和国家机构认识到这些结果，并采取行动防止这种有毒金属的积累。
