Saw this article yesterday about the risk of lead bullets in wild game. This is something near and dear to my heart, as I have moved away from using all but black powder rifles for my hunts.
Lead from bullets could pose risk for game eaters
BISMARCK, North Dakota (AP) — North Dakota health officials are recommending that pregnant women and young children avoid eating meat from wild game killed with lead bullets.
The recommendation is based on a study released Wednesday that examined the lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents. Those who ate wild game killed with lead bullets appeared to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or no wild game.
The elevated lead levels were not considered dangerous, but North Dakota says pregnant women and children younger than 6 should avoid eating venison harvested using lead bullets.
A separate study by Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources previously found that fragments from lead bullets spread as far as 18 inches away from the wound.
“Nobody was in trouble from the lead levels,” Pickard said. However, “the effect was small but large enough to be a concern,” he said.
Pickard said the study found “the more recent the consumption of wild game harvested with lead bullets, the higher the level of lead in the blood.”
Officials in North Dakota and other states have warned about eating venison killed with lead ammunition since the spring, when a physician conducting tests using a CT scanner found lead in samples of donated deer meat.
The findings led North Dakota’s health department to order food pantries to throw out donated venison. Some groups that organize venison donations have called such actions premature and unsupported by science.
I think that most of us who hunt with blackpowder rifles have assumed this risk exists, but I am not sure that this would keep anyone from hunting the way they feel is right for them.
However, this is probably good news for Otter Woman, who isn’t the biggest fan of deer meat. 🙂