Lead Bullets and Poisoning

[belly-deep]

mdunc8,

You shouldn't rest too heavily on "studies." They are not "fact," but instead are mere speculation. Some of it is good speculation, but just because a "study" says, it doesn't make it truth. I don't have time to read this one tonight, but I will say that people give "studies" waaaay too much deference.

Somebody (I think Greenhorn) posted this one a few months back. I liked it so much I saved the image. I giggle everytime I see this. See how good this "study" is 19 years later?

 

[shoots-straight]

My uncle raised waterfowl, Trumpeter swans, Mute Swans, Emperor Geese, Canadian, Geese, you get the idea. Over the years he lost a lot of birds to lead poisoning. They would just up and die, get sick really quick, then die. He would do autopsy's on the bird. Nine times out of 10 its was because the bird ingested lead bullet, or shot. They usually feed off the bottom, and would ingest the lead with their food. If it happens in the fenced in ponds on his place, I'll bet that many birds die in the wild. Not just birds of prey. Just telling you what went on.

 

[belly-deep]

My uncle raised waterfowl, Trumpeter swans, Mute Swans, Emperor Geese, Canadian, Geese, you get the idea. Over the years he lost a lot of birds to lead poisoning. They would just up and die, get sick really quick, then die. He would do autopsy's on the bird. Nine times out of 10 its was because the bird ingested lead bullet, or shot. They usually feed off the bottom, and would ingest the lead with their food. If it happens in the fenced in ponds on his place, I'll bet that many birds die in the wild. Not just birds of prey. Just telling you what went on.

Was that before or after the steel shot requirement?

 

[ringer]

Have they teste yotes, crows and vultures for lead levels in the same areas as the condors? I would think all carrion eaters would show the same lead levels and have not seen any data on that.

 

[Goldtip]

You boys look pretty bad with your tiff so I'll settle it for you. Lead bullet rock. Birds die. Most of us don't really care.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[mdunc8]

Was that before or after the steel shot requirement?

This should give you a little context of before and after lead ban. Not sure how the numbers they present translate to survival or population growth.

Lead exposure in American black ducks after implementation of non-toxic shot. 2000. Journal of Wildlife Management 64:947-953.

Lead poisoning from the ingestion of spent shotgun pellets has been recognized as an important disease of North American waterfowl since Bellrose’s (1959) research >40 years ago. Nation-wide regulations banning the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting were established in 1991. We compared the prevalence of lead exposure in American black ducks (Anas rubripes) wintering on 2 areas in Tennessee before (1986-88) and after the ban (1997-99) to assess the effect of the ban on lead shot on this species. Prevalence of elevated blood lead in black ducks declined by 44% from before (11.7% prevalence) to after (6.5% prevalence) the implementation of non-toxic shot.

 

[mdunc8]

Here's a few other studies for you. Not trying to jam stuff down your throat. Just making you aware that there are GOOD studies out there that tease apart this stuff. Again, I have no idea how this translates to population growth. The population may be able to compensate for the birds that die from exposure IF any are dying.

Lead poisoning and other mortality factors in trumpeter swans. 1989. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 8:262-271.
Lead poisoning and other causes of mortality of trumpeter swans were investigated. Necropsies or Pb concentrations in livers were available for 72 trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) found dead in seven western states from 1976 to 1987; data from other published and unpublished sources (1925 to 1987) also are summarized. Ingestion of lead artifacts (shotgun pellets or fishing sinkers) accounted for about 20% of the known mortality of trumpeter swans in the tri-state area of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where the population has been declining for several decades. In western Washington, the incidence of lead-induced mortality was higher and accounted for nearly 50% of the known mortalities

Experimental lead poisoning of Canada geese. 1966. Journal of Wildlife Management 30:1-8.
Canada geese (Branta canadensis) were experimentally exposed to known amounts of lead. The course of the lead and of the disease in geese was followed, utilizing establish laboratory procedures. Gross signs of lead poisoning first appeared 5-7 days following ingestion. Twenty-five or more pellets resulted in death within 10 days, while 10 or fewer pellets permitted survival as long as 72 days. Ingestion of large numbers of pellets resulted in a rapid increase of lead levels in the blood, acute poisoning, and early death.

Lead exposure in ring-necked pheasants on shooting estates in Great Britain. 2005. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33:583-589
We examined 437 ring-necked pheasant gizzards collected from birds shot on 32 shooting estates during spring 1996 and 1997 and during the hunting seasons of 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. We determined wing-bone-lead concentrations in 98 female birds collected in 1997. Gizzard examinations showed an overall ingestion inci-dence rate of 3.0%.

 

[mdunc8]

Have they teste yotes, crows and vultures for lead levels in the same areas as the condors? I would think all carrion eaters would show the same lead levels and have not seen any data on that.

The only thing I found in my quick search was looking at animals in Yellowstone. BEWARE this is from the same guy at the Peregrine Fund. I think the take home message is that you guys need to find a way to get more lead in wolves because apparently we're not doing a very good job at this point.

In a pilot study, blood samples from live captured
Grizzly Bears were the most abundant sample type
we were able to obtain, though limited samples of
other material were also obtained. During the nonhunting
season (March–August), no Grizzly Bear
blood samples (n = 11) exhibited lead exposure
(>10 μg/dL). However, during the hunting season
(September–November), 46% of 13 samples
showed exposure with blood lead levels >10 μg/dL.
Of six liver samples collected from Wolves during
the non-hunting season, none have shown signs of
lead exposure. This preliminary evidence suggests
mammalian carnivores in areas of high hunting
density may exhibit the same temporal pattern of
lead exposure from ingestion of rifle bullet fragments
during the hunting season as avian scavengers

 

[Drake4]

No argument from me that waterfowl will die if they swallow a bunch of lead shot.

I don't believe that birds are dying from game shot by lead bullets though.

 

[Ben Lamb]

You boys look pretty bad with your tiff so I'll settle it for you. Lead bullet rock. Birds die. Most of us don't really care.

I care. I really, really, really care.

Birds are one of the best benefits for being outdoors.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I don't believe that birds are dying from game shot by lead bullets though.

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_50ad55bc-2ac1-11df-8d21-001cc4c002e0.html
http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/article_f3f1f2d0-2a50-11df-956f-001cc4c002e0.html

http://www.raptorview.org/goldeneagles.html

Fall Migrating Golden Eagle Lead Project
Lead has long been documented as a serious environmental hazard to eagles and other predatory, opportunistic and scavenging avian species. Due to lead poisoning in the Bald Eagle, Golden Eagles and numerous waterfowl species, the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting on federal and state lands was banned in 1991.

More recently, lead poisoning from spent ammunition has been identified as the leading cause of death in California Condors, prompting the recent ban of lead ammunition within the “California Condor Recovery Zone.” Research on Common Ravens in Wyoming, headed up by Bryan Bedrosian and Derek Craighead with Craighead-Beringia South, Wyoming has shown a direct correlation between elevated blood-lead levels and the on-set of rifle hunting season. This and other evidence suggests the source of the continued contamination is coming from gut (offal) piles left behind by hunters.

It was though our conversations with Bedrosian that we started testing for lead as part of our fall migration ecology work on Golden eagles.

To date we have lab analyzed blood from 92 Golden Eagles and have found that nearly 50% of our sampled eagles had elevated blood-lead levels. We surmise the use of lead-core ammunition for hunting is likely the major source for lead exposure in Golden Eagles, though we cannot pinpoint a particular source species or specific region. This is in part due to the overlapping timing of hunting seasons for various game species in different regions of the Rocky Mountains and the very large area inhabited by Golden Eagles during migration season.

Although at this time it is impossible to show, if our preliminary numbers are representative of the northern migratory population of Golden Eagles as whole, we could be looking at a serious threat to the species on a landscape level. We feel that an intensive educational outreach campaign and/or a complete switch away from lead-containing ammunition to alternative less toxic materials for game hunting is the only alternative to protect these and other scavenging species, including human consumers.

Personnel: Robert Domenech, Executive Director RVRI and Dr. Heiko Langner, Geochemistry Lab University of Montana

 

[mdunc8]

I don't believe that birds are dying from game shot by lead bullets though.

There's plenty of studies, I'm done providing them, that have shown elevated lead levels in a number of raptors. You may be skeptical of the origin since their gizzards aren't riddled with pellets but it's coming from somewhere.

 

[Drake4]

Like I said before..I could be wrong.
But there are lots of theories and "we summize" or "we think" in those articles. No facts yet.
Tough to make an argument to ban lead bullets based off of theories and predictions, in my opinion.

 

[Ben Lamb]

When's the last time you got a straight, for sure answer from any biologist?

 

[Drake4]

When's the last time you got a straight, for sure answer from any biologist?

Good point.

My point is...banning lead bullets is a big deal..a HUGE deal. To take that measure without any facts is pretty poor in my opinion.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I agree.

Until the science is more conclusive, or we're dealing with a severe situation such as the condor, I don't see a ban of lead bullets coming too soon.

That being said, I'm going to try the Hornady GMX this year and see how they do. Most of the folks I know using lead free swear by them from a performance POV.

 

[6speed]

These studies indicate an increase in lead in birds tested during hunting season. That is also after the animals they have been eating have been foraging off the ground for an entire summer. I would be interested to see what lead levels look like in live ungulates over a yearly time frame. They spend all summer eating off the ground where lead could naturally be present and tend to eat higher up when the snow falls.

 

[mdunc8]

Like I said before..I could be wrong.
But there are lots of theories and "we summize" or "we think" in those articles. No facts yet.
Tough to make an argument to ban lead bullets based off of theories and predictions, in my opinion.

I agree 100%. Until someone can pinpoint the origin and that exposure translates to survival (both of individual and population), I wouldn't support a ban. In the case of waterfowl, it was pretty clear and I think the switch to steel was a good idea. Maybe not for the rest of hunting/shooting.

 

[mdunc8]

These studies indicate an increase in lead in birds tested during hunting season. That is also after the animals they have been eating have been foraging off the ground for an entire summer. I would be interested to see what lead levels look like in live ungulates over a yearly time frame. They spend all summer eating off the ground where lead could naturally be present and tend to eat higher up when the snow falls.

I don't know for sure, but I was under the impression that naturally occurring lead was tied up in deposits below the surface. There have been studies showing elevated lead levels in the blood of small mammals along roadways. I think most of the studies were conducted around the time lead additives were banned from gasoline. I haven't read any others though. Not sure how long the stuff sticks around. I would imagine quite a while unless it's washed away during storms. Soil around large cities tends to have elevated lead levels too.

 

[MHMT]

Here's an interesting video.

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZJXderphCM
Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Wbj41j67A
Part 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdKlubTRkk8