What is pissing you off this time?

[Snakeadelic]

The ban on using lead shot to hunt on public lands has been repealed. Not "thinking about it" or "working on it". GONE. This means:

Lead in every major river system that flows through public lands.
Food banks in many states, including mine, will no longer be able to accept wild game that is donated by the hunter or seized from poachers, because now there will once again be a risk that someone's gonna make a food-bank deerburger and swallow a bunch of mangled lead pellets that survived the grinder because lead's softer than the steel grinder blades.
Lead buildup in every animal that doesn't outright die of being wounded by lead pellets or eating something that died of lead poisoning.
God knows what kind of damage to the families of avid hunters who may or may not keep their reloading supplies locked up with the actual guns.
Loss of vultures, some of the most frequent victims of lead shot poisoning, leads to carcasses rotting in place, which can spread disease among everything from ground squirrels (they're surprisingly omnivorous--my mom actually watched one stealing eggs out of her henhouse!) to bison, deer, and other "worthwhile" (read: Things Humans Like To Shoot) mega-fauna.
Possible repeat of the massive drop in numbers of all predatory birds, especially those that also scavenge. LIKE THE BALD EAGLE.

Makes me sick. I'm afraid the next thing they'll do is declare mustangs fair game for dog food ingredients so they can slaughter them all off PUBLIC lands and use those lands for grazing, fracking, and strip-mining.

[Griff]

this

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Snakeadelic

Lead in every major river system that flows through public lands. A lot of that was already there. Probably. Lead does occur naturally, although I'm not saying it all came from Mother Nature.

Food banks in many states, including mine, will no longer be able to accept wild game that is donated by the hunter or seized from poachers, because now there will once again be a risk that someone's gonna make a food-bank deerburger and swallow a bunch of mangled lead pellets that survived the grinder because lead's softer than the steel grinder blades. Most food banks do not accept wild game, period. The food banks in my neck o' the woods only accept store-bought, packaged food.

God knows what kind of damage to the families of avid hunters who may or may not keep their reloading supplies locked up with the actual guns. What? Are you expecting the kids to go lead shot chugging when the parents are out?

Possible repeat of the massive drop in numbers of all predatory birds, especially those that also scavenge. LIKE THE BALD EAGLE. That was from DDT, an actual poison. Much different situation. And when steel, bismuth, and other types of shot were introduced (read mandated) in Cali and other areas, there was no real, discernible difference in the numbers of suspicious death rates of scavenging, or predatory birds in those areas. I could be wrong on this, but, I don't think I am.

Makes me sick. I'm afraid the next thing they'll do is declare mustangs fair game for dog food ingredients so they can slaughter them all off PUBLIC lands and use those lands for grazing, fracking, and strip-mining. You're a little late to this particular party. Well, they're not killing them all off, but, yeah, you're tardy.

And what about the animals we intentionally kill with All That Lead? Where is the concern for them?

And I'll shut up with this:

Have any of you seen, or heard of, lead shot in the bird poo that splatted on your windshield? Srsly. If there was this huge problem, wouldn't/shouldn't that be happening?

[Griff]

"...lead affects children’s brain development resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioural changes such as reduced attention span and increased antisocial behaviour, and reduced educational attainment. Lead exposure also causes anaemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs. The neurological and behavioural effects of lead are believed to be irreversible. "

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs379/en/

Getting lead out of our environment is generally a good idea.

Lead is an actual poison.

[Griff]

Lead Poisoning Effects on Birds

Lead poisoning is a toxicosis caused by the absorption of hazardous levels of lead in body tissues. Ingested lead pellets from shotgun shells have been a common source of lead poisoning in birds. Other sources include lead fishing sinkers, mine wastes, paint chips, bullets and other swallowed lead objects.

Clinical/Field Signs

Lead poisoning is typically a chronic disease in wild birds. Sick and dead birds are usually observed in low numbers, if at all. Large scale mortality due to lead poisoning occurs rarely. Birds are often mistaken for cripples during or after the hunting season. Signs include: lethargy, progressive weakness, green-stained feces and vent (cloaca) due to bile staining, reluctance to fly or inability to sustain flight, and weight loss leading to emaciation. Severely affected birds often do not have an escape response but will usually seek isolation and cover, making them difficult to find. Green-colored feces can be seen in areas used by lead-poisoned waterfowl.

Lesions

Waterfowl are often emaciated with severe wasting of breast muscles, impaction of the esophagus and/or proventriculus with food material, and an enlarged gallbladder containing thick, dark green bile. Green bile staining may be seen in the gizzard and/or around the vent. The gizzard may or may not contain lead fragments. The diagnosis is confirmed by detecting toxic levels of lead in tissues, including liver, kidney, and blood.

https://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_in...ead_poisoning/

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

And with all the lead I must have consumed, I've never noticed any effect whatsoever.

Originally Posted by Griff

"...lead affects children’s brain development resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioural changes such as reduced attention span and increased antisocial behaviour, and reduced educational attainment.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I see what you did there.