Lead Poisoning
Lead is a heavy metal that is toxic to both wildlife and humans. Though efforts have been made to remove lead from the environment by eliminating its use in everyday items such as gas, paint, pipes, window blinds and waterfowl shot, it is still commonly found in tackle and ammunition used for fishing, hunting, and pest control.
Upon impact, lead bullets fragment into hundreds of tiny pieces, many of which are too small to be seen with the naked eye. These fragments scatter and penetrate muscles up to 45 cm away from the initial wound channel. Fragments left behind in a carcass or a gut pile are often ingested by eagles and other scavengers.
The lead is then ground down in the bird's gizzard and absorbed into the blood stream, where it travels to the brain causing seizures, starvation, and ultimately death due to lead poisoning.
Lead fragments from can also have a negative impact humans who eat game that was harvested with lead ammunition. Lead fragments are especially harmful to children and pregnant women. In humans, lead poisoning affects the central nervous system and can cause changes in behaviour, impairments in learning and memory, high blood pressure, reproductive and sexual dysfunction, and anemia.
Lead is also still commonly found in tackle, sinkers, jigs, and lures which are regularly used by anglers. Birds can ingest this lead if they mistake tackle for prey, eat fish containing tackle from a broken line, or pick up jigs, lures, or sinkers while foraging on waterway bottoms for grit to aid digestion. Once the lead has been eaten it is typically fatal. In many places, including Nova Scotia, it is not always obvious at a glance which tackle is made from lead.
You Can Help!
Fishing: Non-lead fishing tackle made from metals such as steel, tin, bismuth, and tungsten offer safe alternatives to lead and keep our wildlife safe now and for future generations.
Hunting: By choosing non-lead ammunition (copper for large game), hunters can help to remove a significant source of toxicity from the environment. Non-lead bullets expand on impact and stay in one piece, offering a more humane kill and leaving a cleaner wound which will require no further cleaning once the bullet is removed. Non-lead ammunition, such as solid copper bullets, also have superior muzzle energy and weight retention, accuracy, penetration, and knock-down power.
Spread the word: click here to download our brochure on Non-Lead Hunting and Angling.
We are also available to give talks on wildlife issues like lead poisoning, get in touch to learn more.
Would you like to learn more? Check out the resources below.
