Exposure of European hares (Lepus europaeus) to pesticides in Danish agricultural areas

Abstract

There has been a decline in the population of European hare (Lepus europaeus) throughout Europe. This is considered to be due to the intensified industrial agriculture and the loss of native biotopes. Exposure to pesticides has also been mentioned as a reason for reduced reproduction and population decline. The objective of this study was to assess the concentrations and types of pesticides found in European hares in Denmark. A total of 48 lung samples, 51 pelt samples, 54 urine samples, and 100 liver samples were analyzed using multi-residue and specific sample preparation methods, followed by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS. In these samples, 32 pesticides/metabolites were detected: 20 in pelt, 12 in urine, 11 in liver, and five in lung. The most frequently detected pesticides in the pelt were tebuconazole, boscalid, and prosulfocarb, in urine it was the herbicide glyphosate, its metabolite AMPA, and boscalid, and in the liver the most frequently detected pesticide was metrafenone. The most frequently found pesticide in lung samples was spirotetramat-enol glucoside, a metabolite of spirotetramat, though it was present in only a few hares (6 %). Geometric means of detected pesticides were generally below 100 μg/kg: in pelt (4.59-67.4 μg/kg), in urine (4.79-195 μg/mL), in liver (5.58-85.8 μg/kg), and in lung (8.35-26.6 μg/kg). The high absolute number of pesticides in the pelt suggests exposure through contact with newly sprayed fields. Although concentrations of pesticides were generally low, it cannot be excluded that pesticides act additively in combination to other environmental challenges and thereby in the long run may have an effect on the physiology and life span of hares.

Keywords: Biological samples; Contact exposure; Diet exposure; Hares; Pesticides.