Determination of lead and mercury concentrations in wild boar tissues in the Kichevo-Brod hunting area (North Macedonia)

Abstract

Despite the emergence of the African swine fever virus and the decline in wild boar populations, hunting of this species of game is still highly popular in North Macedonia. In the 2023/24 hunting season, 60 samples (30 kidneys and 30 livers) were collected from a total of 30 wild boars, classified by sex and age, from the Kiĉevo - Brod hunting area. In these tissues, measurements of Pb and Hg were conducted using inductively coupled plasma with mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) on an PlasmaQuant MS-Q instrument. The mean concentrations of Pb were higher in the liver (0,076 mg/kg) than in the kidney (0,030 mg/kg), while conversely for Hg higher concentrations were observed in the kidney (0,061 mg/kg) compared to the liver (0,029 mg/kg). However, the mean values for both heavy metals in the examined tissues were below the permissible limits according to the legal regulations. Only one individual liver sample for Pb (3,3%) and 5 kidney samples for Hg (16,5%) exceeded the permissible limits which are regulated by ЕU and National legislatives. Regarding the sex and age of wild boars, no statistically significant difference was found for both heavy metals in the two tissues examined (p > 0,05). A statistically significant correlation for Pb concentration was confirmed between liver and kidney (r = 0,384), however the correlation for Hg concentration in the same tissues was statistically insignificant (r = 0,176). The results of the study show that the Kichevo-Brod hunting area had minimal pollution, despite potential contamination from the Oslomej thermal power plant and the abandoned "Tajmište" mine.