from the Jamestown Sun, ND
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - An Idaho raptor group working to eliminate lead from ammunition has released findings it says show that ground venison from 80 percent of deer killed with high-velocity lead bullets contains metal fragments.
The Peregrine Fund, based in Boise, and researchers from Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., say the study released Tuesday is further evidence people who eat meat from game animals shot with lead bullets risk exposure to the toxic metal.
Separately, the North Dakota Health Department and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are planning a study on nearly 700 people who eat meat from wild game harvested with lead bullets, to determine any health risks.
The suggestion that lead bullets could make venison unsafe for humans has prompted outrage from pro-hunting groups such as Safari Club International, of Somerset, N.J., and the Connecticut-based National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry group. North Dakota and Minnesota instructed food banks there to pull hunter-donated venison from their shelves.
"This is one more piece of evidence that points to lead bullets as a source of contamination in our environment," Rick Watson, vice president of The Peregrine Fund, said in a statement ahead of a presentation of the study, which focused on 30 white-tailed deer killed by standard, lead-core, copper-jacketed bullets fired from a high-powered rifle.
Full Story: http://www.jamestownsun.com/articles/index.cfm?id=66138§ion=news
