The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service and the US Food and Drug Administration monitor commercially produced poultry for chemical contaminants. Various groups, including hunters (and their families), patrons of community services that receive donated wildlife from wildlife management agencies, and patrons of retail outlets that specialize in game meats consume wildlife. As no public health entity routinely monitors contaminants in wildlife tissues, the public health risk to consumers of wildlife tissues is not well characterized. To address this knowledge gap, we: 1) assayed environmental contaminants (pesticides, metals, PCBs) in harvested Canada geese, and 2) assessed public health risk of wild-harvested poultry by comparing Canada geese contaminant concentrations to contaminant concentrations in commercially produced poultry and regulatory guidance levels. Potential contaminants of concern were further evaluated via a probabilistic risk assessment. Risk estimates and potential risk management strategies will be presented.

Environmental contaminants in wildlife intended for human consumption

244th National Meeting (2012)

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