Projectiles made of lead alloys are used for waterfowl hunting in Europe. The paper demonstrated that lead pellets, due to their construction and use, contaminate the environment, especially water ecosystems. During one hunting session, tens of thousands of lead balls are introduced to the environment. Moreover, dispersed heavy metal is ingested by birds as gastroliths; as a result, game birds as well as protected birds become intoxicated with lead. During hunting trips, birds are also injured. When entering into the food chain, lead from pellets poses a risk to many living organisms, including predators and scavengers. Injured or intoxicated birds have difficulty joining seasonal migrations. Meat, especially of wild ducks and geese, is consumed during the hunting season by hunters and their families. Considering the level of lead in the muscles of game birds, venison consumers are also exposed to lead intoxication. In Europe, an increasing number of hunters who use lead pellets has resulted in lead being accumulated in game birds, which is a hazard to the public health. In view of the above facts and other hazards resulting from hunting, which endanger humans and animals, the authors recommend a total ban on waterfowl hunting.
Diagnostic imaging is a branch of medicine that has been developing for over a century. Technological progress in this area has contributed to the emergence of new techniques such as nuclear medicine, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance. Mastering these techniques and skillfully using them requires physicians to continuously deepen their knowledge and skills. Therefore, the European Association of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging (EAVDI) has been established to ensure that the quality of services provided by veterinary surgeons is of the highest quality.
Annually, hunters shoot millions of birds with lead ammunition. Many studies indicate diverse and often very high lead levels in the edible parts of game. Considering the number of hunters, the determined levels may pose a public health risk. Shotgun pellets are the main source of lead contamination of game animal tissues. Despite numerous studies indicating lead contamination in game birds, no significant reasons for diverse contamination of tissues with this toxic metal have been reported. The personal analysis presented in this paper suggests that the explanation for diverse levels of contamination of game animal tissues should be sought in physical phenomena generated by a projectile in damaged animal tissues. The projectile penetrating a target generates a multi-phase medium from destroyed tissues and simultaneously changes the shape of its front part. This movement of projectile is an example of a turbulent flow. The interpretation of the interaction between a projectile and damaged tissues indicate that the variable and unpredictable parameters of a projectile for each shot and the medium created by a projectile make it, impossible to determine, the degree of this interaction. The phenomenon of a temporary cavity created by a shot seems to determine the magnitude of lead transfer into tissues surrounding the path of a wound. Fluid mechanics also explains the relatively high lead levels in game birds in comparison with the levels determined in big game animals. In view of the unpredictability of projectile-animal body interactions, it should be assumed that game bird shot with lead pellets contains the lead levels dangerous to human health. Therefore, the use of lead pellets for bird shooting should be banned.
Polish veterinarians are committed to specific behaviors. They have an obligation to actively prevent pollution of the natural environment and threats to public health. The law does not prohibit them from hunting though. Hunting birds with lead ammunition is harmful to the environment, birds and humans. In view of the above, it seems that this type of hunting should be forbidden to veterinarians. Unfortunately, Polish law makes it impossible to punish veterinary surgeons for bird hunting with lead ammunition. As hunters, veterinarians are probably aware of the harmfulness of such behavior, but they prioritize their pleasure over environmental concerns. This study examines Polish legal acts related to hunting by veterinarians and presents specific legal provisions requiring and forbidding specific behaviors of veterinarians. According to the law on the profession of the veterinary surgeon, members of this profession must not engage in bird hunting with lead ammunition. The study discusses the difficulty of changing the current situation and forcing Polish veterinary surgeons to abandon bird hunting with toxic ammunition and to actively fight this practice. Veterinarians, in particular those who are hunters, should actively oppose such forms of hunting that are harmful to the natural environment, especially the hunting of game birds with lead ammunition. In accordance with veterinary knowledge, ethics and deontology, all veterinarians should inform the public about the harmfulness of eating game animals shot with lead ammunition, in particular with lead pellets.
With the development of toxicology as a science, the second half of the 20th century saw the establishment of scientific societies, such as the International Society of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety (SECOTOX), the Federation of European Toxicologists and European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX), the Polish Society of Toxicology, and the European Society of Toxicologic Pathology (ESTP). This study describes their development, organizational structure and mission. The scope of their interest, in addition to toxicology, also includes ecotoxicology, which protects the natural environment and public health.
Badania przeprowadzono na 48 kaczkach krzyżówkach (Anas platyrhynchos) w wieki 4-5 miesięcy w latach 1993-1995. Ptaki pochodziły z dwóch różnych środowisk: z uprzemysłowionego obszaru (teren miejski w pobliżu Bydgoszczy) i intensywnie uprawianego obszaru rolniczego (okolica w pobliżu Żnina, gdzie prowadzono uprawę pól). W czasie trzyletniego okresu badań obserwowano u kaczek krzyżówek pochodźących z terenu przyległego do Bydgoszczy spadek zawartości kadmu z 0,04 mg/kg do 0,03 mg/kg mokrej masy wątroby. Podczas gdy u ptaków gniazdujących na obszarze rolniczym występował podwójny wzrost poziomu analizowanego ksenobiotyku (od 0,03 mg/kg do 0,06 mg/kg mokrej masy). Czterdzieści procent kaczek krzyżówek z tego regionu wykazywało ponad 0,05 mg/kg zawartości kadmu, więcej niż dopuszcza norma odnośnie produktów konsumpcyjnych. Wzrost poziomu kadmu u 4-5-miesięcznych kaczek krzyżówek bytujących w okolicy Żnina w latach 1993-1995 pokazał, że na badanym obszarze w stosunku do gniazdujących ptaków istnieje zagrożenie potencjalne wymienionym ksenobiotykiem. Świadczy to o konieczności monitorowania okolic Żnina w kierunku obecności kadmu.
Fat is an important component of feed rations for poultry as it improves the growth and laying parameters, which translates into better economic outcomes of animal production. The quality of this nutrient is determined by its freshness. It was assumed that the addition of oxidised fat with a peroxide value below 6 mEq O₂/kg in the ration does not trigger any clinical symptoms or morphologic changes in the internal organs in poultry. Fat with a higher degree of oxidation is harmful to animal health and thus reduces the performance. The products of hydrolysis and oxidation of higher fatty acids demonstrate cytotoxic effects and lead to metabolic disturbances. As a result, this results in morphological changes with both a destructive and adaptive nature. These changes are mainly observed in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys, skin, skeletal muscles and heart in different avian species. Furthermore, poultry becomes more susceptible to viral and bacterial infections. Disease cases resulting from feeding oxidised fats to poultry often become a hot spot and a source of conflict between a feed provided and a customer. They also require veterinary attendance and interventions. In such a circumstances, the first stage of treatment always consists in a change in the current feed for a novel, good quality feed mix. In addition, detoxifying, hepatoprotective and protective medications are warranted.
This paper presents results of research determining cadmium levels in livers of 48 coots (Fulica atra) aged 5-6 months, originating from industrial (Bydgoszcz) and agricultural (Znin) areas. Studies were carried out in 1993-1995. The results of the investigation show a decrease in the amounts of the analysed cadmium in birds from Bydgoszcz region (from 0.04 mg/kg to 0.03 mg/kg wet mass), while there was an increase of this metal in coots nesting in the area close to Znin (from 0.03 mg/kg to 0.04 mg/kg). Increasing cadmium levels in Znin region indicate a potential threat to the birds inhabiting this area. This statement was confirmed by the fact that coots stayed in the Znin neighbourhood for 5-6 months only. The highest cadmium level in the liver was 0.05 mg/kg.
Legal norms determine the rules for conducting a veterinary necropsy to a limited extent, leaving the regulation of this matter to the veterinary art. The norms of binding Polish law and rules of veterinary professional ethics in relation to conducting a necropsy are analyzed and interpreted. The ethical and legal aspects of the veterinary surgeon’s activities have been highlighted. Non-observance of these rules during the post-mortem examination of animals may result in the incompatibility of the proceedings with the principle of acting lege artis, the effect of which is civil and professional liability. Moreover, when the section was commissioned by the authorities, inappropriate conditions or the manner in which it was carried out (including legal and ethical premises) may diminish the meaning of the section protocol as evidence. It should be remembered that animal corpses are subject to obligatory utilization, so in the vast majority of cases the section protocol is the only documentation and it cannot raise the slightest doubt, which may be the case in the failure to observe the discussed principles of performing a posthumous examination of animals. Considering that every veterinary surgeon may be appointed by various institutions (i.e. courts, police, prosecutor, insurance company) to conduct the necropsy, it is advisable to familiarize this professional group of public trust with the ethical and legal aspects of its implementation.
JavaScript jest wyłączony w Twojej przeglądarce internetowej. Włącz go, a następnie odśwież stronę, aby móc w pełni z niej korzystać.