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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

The Toxic Legacy of Ammunition Lead (Pb) from Big Game Hunting in Sweden

  • Jon M. Arnemo1
  • Navinder J. Singh2
  • Vernon G. Thomas3
  • Boris Fuchs1
  • Fredrik Widemo2
  • Jonas Malmsten4
  • Jordan O. Hampton5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, University of Inland Norway, NO-2480 Koppang, Norway
  2. 2Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83 Umeå, Sweden
  3. 3Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada
  4. 4Viltkonsult Jonas Malmsten AB, Mörbytorpsvägen 303, 186 94 Vallentuna, Sweden
  5. 5School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150 Australia
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Abstract

In Sweden, a total of 5,880,688 moose (Alces alces), 1,084,671 fallow deer (Dama dama), 173,137 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 7,911 brown bears (Ursus arctos) were harvested by recreational hunters in 1939–2024. In addition, 1,987,646 wild boars (Sus scrofa) were harvested in 1990–2024. To better understand the the potential for exposure of wildlife to lead (Pb), we estimated the amount of Pb from spent Pb-core hunting bullets in gut piles available to wildlife scavengers. Calculations were based on the number of harvested animals, the proportion of gut piles left in situ, the proportion of hunters using Pb-based ammunition, the number of shots per animal and the amount of Pb in each gut pile. Over the 86-year study period, we estimated that a total of ~ 9,045 kg of Pb from spent hunting ammunition was deposited in gut piles left for scavenging. This amount of Pb, which translates to > 450 million lethal doses for eagles weighing ~ 5 kg (0.02 g of Pb per bird), is likely to have resulted in harmful exposure in a wide range of avian and mammalian scavengers feeding on the gut piles. This source of Pb exposure could be eliminated from the ecosystem if Pb-based hunting bullets were banned.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{arnemo2026toxic,
  title = {{The Toxic Legacy of Ammunition Lead (Pb) from Big Game Hunting in Sweden}},
  author = {Jon M. Arnemo and Navinder J. Singh and Vernon G. Thomas and Boris Fuchs and Fredrik Widemo and Jonas Malmsten and Jordan O. Hampton},
  journal = {Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1007/s00128-026-04351-7},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-026-04351-7},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The Toxic Legacy of Ammunition Lead (Pb) from Big Game Hunting in Sweden
AU  - Jon M. Arnemo
AU  - Navinder J. Singh
AU  - Vernon G. Thomas
AU  - Boris Fuchs
AU  - Fredrik Widemo
AU  - Jonas Malmsten
AU  - Jordan O. Hampton
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/25
JO  - Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
DO  - 10.1007/s00128-026-04351-7
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-026-04351-7
AB  - In Sweden, a total of 5,880,688 moose (Alces alces), 1,084,671 fallow deer (Dama dama), 173,137 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 7,911 brown bears (Ursus arctos) were harvested by recreational hunters in 1939–2024. In addition, 1,987,646 wild boars (Sus scrofa) were harvested in 1990–2024. To better understand the the potential for exposure of wildlife to lead (Pb), we estimated the amount of Pb from spent Pb-core hunting bullets in gut piles available to wildlife scavengers. Calculations were based on the number of harvested animals, the proportion of gut piles left in situ, the proportion of hunters using Pb-based ammunition, the number of shots per animal and the amount of Pb in each gut pile. Over the 86-year study period, we estimated that a total of ~ 9,045 kg of Pb from spent hunting ammunition was deposited in gut piles left for scavenging. This amount of Pb, which translates to > 450 million lethal doses for eagles weighing ~ 5 kg (0.02 g of Pb per bird), is likely to have resulted in harmful exposure in a wide range of avian and mammalian scavengers feeding on the gut piles. This source of Pb exposure could be eliminated from the ecosystem if Pb-based hunting bullets were banned.
SN  - 0007-4861
SN  - 1432-0800
ER  -