Child in red jacket and blue hat crouching by a pile of dead waterfowl on grass — A child observes a batch of ducks donated by a hunting lodge. For many rural families, hunted game is an essential source of protein. When harvested with lead ammunition, it can become a pathway of exposure for children. Credit: Bárbara Letto

Nearly Two Decades of One Health Research Reveals Hidden Lead Exposure Risk for Children

by Eunah Preston
June 29, 2026

What began nearly 20 years ago as a collaborative effort led by Dr. Marcela Uhart, director of the Latin America Program at the UC Davis One Health Institute, to understand lead poisoning in wildlife has now expanded into an important new discovery about children’s health. The new study led by Dr. Andrea Caselli of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Dr. Uhart, with key contributions from a multidisciplinary co-author team, found that children in rural northern Argentina who consumed wild game harvested with lead ammunition had significantly higher blood lead levels than those who did not.

Flock of glossy ibis and a white egret in green marsh with shallow water — Waterfowl, such as these white-faced whistling ducks, are extensively hunted in wetlands from central and northern Argentina. While some restrictions are in place, hunting occurs almost exclusively with lead ammunition. Credit: Marcelo Romano

Published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, the research builds on work Uhart and collaborators began in 2007 documenting lead poisoning in waterfowl and contamination in hunting-impacted wetlands and rice fields. That work helped inform Argentina’s first restrictions on lead ammunition, but much of the problem remains.

Two people in waders pulling a circular seine net through shallow marsh water — Over many years, the team monitored lead exposure in waterfowl in areas with regular hunting activity and documented significant levels of exposure and health impacts. Here scientists prepare to sample ducks caught in a corral-trap built in a wetland. Credit: Marcelo Romano

While the team’s earlier research documented the impacts of lead ammunition on wildlife and helped inform policy change, this study examined a part of the issue with direct implications for human health: children.

Working alongside local public health professionals and social workers, the team partnered with rural communities where families often rely on wild game for food, either through subsistence hunting or game donated by nearby hunting lodges. Researchers interviewed caregivers and measured blood lead levels in children up to 13 years old.

Masked teacher talking with masked students at classroom desks; hand sanitizer visible, photo — A caregiver provides consent for blood collection from her child by finger-prick. Caregivers also reported hunted game consumption habits in their households over the previous three months. Local pulic health professionals were essential partners in this novel study. Credit: Ayelén Muchiutti

The results were concerning: more than half of the children tested had blood lead levels above the current reference value, and children who had consumed game meat had substantially higher levels than those who did not.

The study also identified key risk factors, including consumption of ducks and capybaras, use of whole carcasses, and preparation of meat in stews. Although some families reported removing visible pellets or damaged meat before cooking, these steps did not reliably reduce exposure because lead ammunition can fragment into tiny particles that spread through the meat and cannot be seen.

Three focused, masked researchers dissect fish under lamps at a cluttered lab table. — Over decades, the team examined hundreds of hunted waterfowl for evidence of exposure to lead ammunition. A common finding was lead shot in the stomachs of the ducks, which ingest it accidentally as grit. The lead pellets then slowly leach lead from the stomach and poison the birds and any predators or scavengers. Credit: Hebe Ferreyra

“We followed up with local public health partners and families to explain the results and share practical recommendations for reducing risk,” said lead author Andrea Caselli. “Our goal was to make sure communities had the information they need to make safer choices and better protect their children’s health.”

“This is clearly a major and preventable vulnerability, with possible lifelong consequences for children in already underserved communities,” said Uhart. “We hope this research helps move the conversation from concern to action in areas and sectors, such as hunting tourism, that are still reluctant to change.”

By bringing together wildlife health experts, physicians, environmental scientists, public health professionals, and community partners, the research demonstrates how a One Health approach can turn long-term ecological research into practical solutions that protect wildlife, safeguard human health, and inform policy.