Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Environmental Veterinary Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita18, Nishi9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan.
Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, 11 Hoffman Street, Potchefstroom, 2531, South Africa.
J Vet Med Sci. 2020 Aug 19;82(8):1118-1123. doi: 10.1292/jvms.20-0104. Epub 2020 Jun 18.
Birds of a number of species have died as a result of lead (Pb) poisoning, including many Steller's sea eagles (Haliaeetus pelagicus) and white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. To address this issue, the use of any type of Pb ammunition for hunting of large animals was prohibited in Hokkaido in 2004. However, Pb poisoning is still being reported in this area, and there are few regulations regarding the use of Pb ammunition in other parts of Japan, where it has been reported that eagles and water birds have been exposed to Pb. This study was performed to accurately determine the current level of Pb exposure of birds found dead in the field or dead in the wild bird centers in Japan (June 2015-May 2018) and to identify the sources of Pb. Pb exposure was found to still be occurring in raptors and water birds in various parts of Japan. Twenty-six point five % and 5.9% of the recorded deaths of Steller's sea eagles and white-tailed sea eagles, respectively, were found to have been poisoned by Pb. In addition, Pb isotope ratio analysis showed that both Pb rifle bullets and Pb shot pellets cause Pb exposure in birds, and these endangered eagles are also exposed to Pb in Hokkaido due to the illegal use of Pb ammunition. Changing to Pb-free ammunition, such as copper (Cu) rifle bullets, steel shot pellets, or bismuth shot pellets, will be essential for the conservation of avian species in Japan.
由于铅（Pb）中毒，许多物种的鸟类已经死亡，包括北海道的几种虎头海雕（Haliaeetus pelagicus）和白尾海雕（Haliaeetus albicilla）。为了解决这个问题，2004 年日本最北部的北海道禁止使用任何类型的 Pb 弹药来猎捕大型动物。然而，在该地区仍有 Pb 中毒的报告，而且日本其他地区使用 Pb 弹药的规定很少，据报道，鹰和水鸟已经接触到 Pb。本研究旨在准确确定 2015 年 6 月至 2018 年 5 月期间在日本野外或野生鸟类中心死亡的鸟类的当前 Pb 暴露水平，并确定 Pb 的来源。研究发现，日本各地的猛禽和水鸟仍存在 Pb 暴露的情况。记录的 26.5%和 5.9%的虎头海雕和白尾海雕死亡分别被发现是 Pb 中毒所致。此外，Pb 同位素比分析表明，Pb 步枪子弹和 Pb 霰弹丸都会导致鸟类的 Pb 暴露，这些濒危的鹰也因 Pb 弹药的非法使用而在北海道受到 Pb 的影响。改用无铅弹药，如铜（Cu）步枪子弹、钢霰弹丸或铋霰弹丸，对于保护日本的鸟类物种至关重要。
