It’s time to get the lead out of the environment!

Lead ammunition and tackle are the main causes of lead poisoning in birds and other wildlife and can be seriously detrimental to both the health of the environment and humans.

The effects of lead on wild bird populations are well-researched.

When lead ammunition is used in hunting, the bullet breaks up into many small fragments inside the animal, which are often very difficult to remove entirely. Many hunters leave gut piles behind that contain these lead fragments, which scavenger animals consume. It takes only a tiny amount of lead to be lethal to a large bird like a Bald Eagle, and gut piles can have sufficient lead fragments to be lethal.

Lead fishing tackle presents a similar threat to water birds. Small in size but significant in impact, lead sinkers and jigs can be deadly when ingested by birds such as loons, swans, and eagles. Waterbirds often mistake small lead weights for food or grit, which they rely on to help digest their food. Once swallowed, lead begins to break down in their digestive systems, leading to lead poisoning—a painful and often fatal condition. Symptoms include weakness, impaired movement, digestive problems, and, in many cases, death within days.

Not only is lead dangerous to birds and wildlife, it is also harmful to humans.

There are no defined safe levels of lead intake in humans, and the toxic effects of lead are numerous and virtually irreversible: “Low-level environmental lead exposure remains a major public health problem and has been termed a ‘silent killer’” (Arnemo, 2016).

Most ingestion sources have been banned or restricted: lead paint (banned in 1978), pipes (1986), gasoline (1996). When hunters bring home game meat, it may contain lead fragments which can be consumed unknowingly and may be legally donated to food pantries, causing serious impacts on human health.

How lead affects birds: by The numbers

16.3% of documented Bald Eagle deaths between 1975 and 2013 were from lead poisoning (Russell and Franson, 2014).

31% of 209 eagles brought to rehabilitation centers in Iowa within a 10-year period (2004-2014) had detectable levels of lead in their systems (Yaw et al., 2017).

Between 1991 and 2007, of 143 Trumpeter Swan fatalities studied in Wisconsin, approximately 25% were attributed to lead toxicity (Strom et al., 2009).

Between 2006 and 2008, of 26 Common Loon fatalities studied in Wisconsin, 30% were attributed to lead poisoning, and remnants of lead fishing tackle were found in GI tracts of all loons suspected of dying from lead poisoning (Strom et al., 2009).

Do you currently use lead ammunition/tackle? Check out resources to make the switch:

Contact your lawmakers.
Send a message to your legislators encouraging them to vote for policies that support phasing out lead.

Learn more about these and other ways to take action by visiting www.sportingleadfree.org.

Cover image by Joshua Mayer FCC

ARTICLES Cited

Arnemo, J. M., Andersen, O., Stokke, S., Thomas, V. G., Krone, O., Pain, D. J., & Mateo, R. (2016). “Health and environmental risks from lead-based ammunition: science versus socio-politics.” EcoHealth, 13(4), 618–622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1177-x

Franson, J. C., & Russell, R. E. (2014). “Lead and eagles: demographic and pathological characteristics of poisoning, and exposure levels associated with other causes of mortality.” Ecotoxicology, 23(9), 1722–1731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-014-1337-0

Strom, S. M., Langenberg, J. A., Businga, N. K., & Batten, J. K. (2009). “Lead exposure in Wisconsin birds.” Ingestion of Lead from Spent Ammunition: Implications for Wildlife and Humans. The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, USA. https://doi.org/10.4080/Ilsa.2009.0205

Yaw, T., Neumann, K., Bernard, L., Cancilla, J., Evans, T., Martin-Schwarze, A., & Zaffarano, B. (2017). “Lead poisoning in Bald Eagles admitted to wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Iowa, 2004–2014.” Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management, 8(2), 465–473. https://doi.org/10.3996/122015-jfwm-124