In Greenland lead exposure to humans from the local diet in general is very low. But the use of lead shot introduces a significant amount of lead in locally hunted birds. Human exposure to lead from the use of lead shot will be assessed by analysing breast meat from thick-billed murre and common eider. In common eider, the Greenland species which is suspected to be most exposed to lead toxicity, the frequency of embedded shots and of shots in the gizzard will be studied, and wing bones will be analysed for lead as an indicator of long-term exposure to lead.
Most samples will be stored deep frozen or freeze-dried in NERIs specimen bank in Roskilde, Denmark. No limit for storage
Birds are bought or collected whole by NERI personnel or contactors in Greenland, frozen and sent to NERIs lab. in Roskilde, Denmark. In each bird shot pellets are located and counted. Birds are skinned and viscera, head, wings and legs removed, after which to body is cooked. The soup and breast meat are then analysed for lead after removal of visible shot pellets from thick-billed murre and common eider. In common eider, the Greenland species which is suspected to be most exposed to lead toxicity, the frequency of embedded shots and of shots in the gizzard will be studied, and wing bones will be analysed for lead as an indicator of long-term exposure to lead. Samples for chemical analysis are freeze-dried and fine-ground, after which a subsample is digested in nitric acid and lead is determined by atomic absorption spectrometry.
NERIs lab. takes part in Quasimeme and follows well established procedures within quality assurance.
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources