| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Lily |
Posted - May 16 2007 : 9:05:43 PM
For all you hunters out there, I am wondering what your opinions are on the banning of lead ammo in California. I am not a hunter so I am not too clear on why this is even a controversy – it seems obvious to me that if there is a danger of lead poisoning then lead bullets should be banned. Is there an advantage (other than cost) to using lead ammunition over alternative ammunition? Are the alternatives really that much more expensive? Also, do any of you worry about eating lead shards that are scattered in the tissues of game meat? I have enjoyed eating game that others have shot and the thought of lead poisoning has never occurred to me. But it seems to be a valid and serious problem, at least for the California Condor. In case you haven’t heard of this controversy, here is a link:
http://ca.audubon.org/california_condor.html
Let me know what you think! Lily
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| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Jen |
Posted - May 17 2007 : 07:45:02 AM
I agree - how can there be controversy? I really can't get my head around hunters who would opt for cheap bullets over the integrity of the environment they claim to love being a part of - must be the same breed that tosses beer cans out the windows of their trucks.
Apparently, though, the leading lead alternative - bismuth - is not perfect either (see article below). I tried to find info on the safety of titanium, but no luck. I think the idea is that, like copper, is doesn't degrade (not easily anyway), so it's essentially inert.
Sometimes I think Americans are so hooked on mass bargain consumption that they (we) shouldn't have so many options with negative consequences - right down to packaged pseudo-food.
Alternative to lead shot questioned
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2004/11/15/bullets-lead041115.html
Ammunition makers switched to a "non-toxic" alternative to lead but the replacements may not be better, according to a new study.
The federal government began phasing out the use of lead shot in 1999 to cut down on the amount of the pollutant, which can poison birds.
Lead was replaced with bismuth, which behaves ballistically in a similar way and is cheaper than steel shot.
Despite studies supporting the change, scientists did not know what the background levels of bismuth were in the environment.
Researchers at the University of Toronto at Scarborough, Queen's University in Kingston, Hamilton's McMaster University, and the University of Waterloo reviewed the levels of lead and bismuth from waterfowl harvested with lead shotshell.
Biochemistry Prof. Evert Nieboer of McMaster and his colleagues looked at background levels of the two pollutants in muscle and liver tissues from:
* Mallard ducks.
* Northern pintails.
* Green-winged teals.
* Canada geese.
* Snow geese.
Hunters from Cree communities in the western James Bay region, who eat the birds as part of their traditional diets, provided the samples.
The researchers found signs of lead contamination from the bismuth shot. Excessive exposure to bismuth has been linked to blood, liver, kidney and neural problems.
The levels detected suggest there were analytical errors in previous studies on the effects of bismuth in birds, the researchers said.
Since bismuth is a contaminant of lead, the researchers said more research is needed to confirm if bismuth is an appropriate "non-toxic" alternative to lead shot.
The study appears in the November issue of the journal Environmental Pollution.
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
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| marybeth |
Posted - May 16 2007 : 10:48:10 PM
Lead is banned in Washington State. Too many birds dying because of lead. The geese and swan injest the lead shot when foraging, I imagine ducks too. There is still leadshot in the ground and still some hunters use the shot whether they should or not. THINK PEOPLE!! MB
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