People eating wild-shot pheasant likely to be eating lead, study finds
People eating pheasant killed by lead shot are "unwittingly eating lead, which is toxic", according to a study.
Researchers examined the carcasses of eight wild-shot common pheasants, killed on a farmland shoot using lead shotgun ammunition and on sale in a UK butcher's shop.
They found small lead fragments embedded in every pheasant, in addition to lead shotgun pellets in seven of them.
Lead shotgun pellets often fragment on impact within the bodies of game birds, leaving small lead particles in the meat which are difficult for consumers to detect and remove.
The researchers found up to 10mg of tiny lead shards per pheasant, all of which were much too small to be detected by eye or by touch.
Lead is toxic to humans when absorbed by the body and there is no known safe level of exposure.
It accumulates in the body over time and can cause long-term harm, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease and kidney damage in adults.
It is known to lower IQ in young children, and affect the neurological development of unborn babies.
Professor Rhys Green, of Cambridge University's Department of Zoology, said: "While lead gunshot continues to be used for hunting, people who eat pheasants and other similar game birds are very likely to be also consuming a lot of tiny lead fragments.
"It seems to have been widely assumed in the past that a lead shot embedded in a pheasant carcass remained intact, and could be removed cleanly before the pheasant was eaten - removing any health risk.
"Our study has shown the extent to which this is really not the case. By eating pheasant, people are also unwittingly eating lead, which is toxic."
Prof Green continued: "One pheasant is a reasonable meal for two or three people. Consuming this much lead occasionally wouldn't be a great cause-for-concern-but-we-know that there are thousands of people in the UK who eat game meat, often pheasant, every week."