Risk assessment of the lead intake by consumption of red deer and wild boar meat in Southern Spain

Abstract

The presence of heavy metals in big game meat may pose a risk to human health. The main objective of this paper is to carry out a risk assessment study (using a probabilistic and point-estimate approach) of lead intake by consumption of red deer and wild boar meat in Southern Spain based on Spanish data collected in the period 2003–2006. In general, the concentration levels found for wild boar meat (mean = 1291 µg kg−1) were much higher than those observed in red deer meat (mean = 326 µg kg−1). The results from a point-estimate risk assessment showed that the estimated average intake of lead among different exposure scenarios varied from 0.1 to 6.5 and from 0.3 to 38 µg kg−1 week−1 for red deer and wild boar meat, respectively; and from 0.3 to 35 µg kg−1 week−1 for individuals consuming both red deer and wild boar meat, and that the estimated intake of lead by consumption of big game meat differed significantly between hunters and non-hunters, it being higher for hunters. Besides this, results from the probabilistic risk assessment study corroborated the fact that risk is greater in hunter populations, reaching a maximum in individuals consuming only wild boar and both types of meat, with 0.4% and 0.2% of the population above the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), respectively. Likewise, the hunter populations consuming wild boar and both types of big game meat (red deer and wild boar meat) were exposed to the maximum lead level (56 µg kg−1 week−1), which corresponded approximately to 224% of the PTWI. Further data and studies will be needed to give a complete risk estimation in which it will be crucial to consider the contribution to the lead intake level of other foods in the diet of both population groups.