Thread: Lead bullets and their risk to human health

I used to machine tons of lead in the 90's, luckily the company did things quite responsibly. We were warned about smoking/eating with dirty hands but my blood tests showed a steady increase in the lead levels. It eventually came back down but they didn't put me back on those jobs for a few years. It must of been bad as hell for the guys smelting it if my minimal contact increased the levels in my blood, however contact via meat hunting wouldn't concern me in the slightest.

Originally Posted by NZBeeMan

The podcast has nothing to do with banning lead in ammo, but is more about making an informed choice as a hunter and consumer of wild meat

Valid - I was speaking more towards the lead rifle projectile bans elsewhere in the world.

Well fair warning to any latent cannibals out there. I've been carrying lead in my flesh for decades now. Don't eat on me...

Originally Posted by outlander

Well fair warning to any latent cannibals out there. I've been carrying lead in my flesh for decades now. Don't eat on me...

Same here.

Originally Posted by NZBeeMan

On the way home from work today I listened to this podcast from "Our Chainging World" on RNZ:

Lead bullets and their risk to human health

For me the main reason to use non-fragmenting copper-alloy bullets by now is not so much because of toxicity...
I am pretty sure other stuff is not much better regarding carcinogenic concerns.

I wrote the main reason in another thread already:
Working with hounds whilsts tracking or on driven hunts in close proximity to quarry shot.

Quote:
"After I saw two very good tracking dogs killed by shrapnel in recent years and from very odd angles in relation to the animal shot, I switched to lead-free non-fragmenting bullets.
By now there are plenty that work very well: Hornady CX, FOX Classic Hunter, Sako Powerhead Blade, RWS HIT... You name them..."

Another very nice side effect is very little meat damage on smaller game.
I actually got rid of my 223 and get all my (tiny) roe deer and even geese with my .308 WIN and a deforming copper-alloy bullet.
By now the ones with good design expand reliably and very uniformly between 900 m/s and around 500 m/s from my experience.

But I for longer range shots I think a good "cupNcore" is hard to beat...

Cheers
Ben

It's about minimising exposure - lead is not good for us at any level, whereas copper is essential.

Incidentally, this week is international lead poisoning prevention week.

Copper bullets are expensive but for the meat for charity I try to use copper. Hammers in .223 work good.
When shot with lead I trim well away from wounds and bullet holes.
I don't fancy eating lead.

Lead is no different to most substances. Most at some point become hazardous.
Take salt.
No salt, you die.
A small amount is healthy.
Too much is unhealthy over many years.
A big one off feed of it will kill you in a few days.

Panadol and other medication is the same.

How many hunters do you know have been seriously effected by lead?
Casters or indoor shooters, yes, they need to manage it, not hunters.

Don't drive,
Don't go boating.
Don't go swimming.
Don't walk across the road.

Life has risks, it's about managing them, not banning everything we do.

When you have ingested as much mdf, gypsum and glued as your average carpenter or joiner a little lead is nothing. In the UK mdf is available in standard brown, moisture resistant green and fire resistant pink core, who really knows what's in them. Rimu and Cedar dust are also known carcinogens along with the current big one silica dust. Silicosis is a big killer possibly more than asbestos ever was.

Originally Posted by Happy Jack

. Rimu and Cedar dust are also known carcinogens .

yay two more things to add to the cocktail .........
even viruses wont go near my blood

Silicon boob implants are fun while they last too....not so much when they start to break down( was going to say go pear shaped but...well..you know) plenty of women having major issues because of them now.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Silicon boob implants are fun while they last too....not so much when they start to break down( was going to say go pear shaped but...well..you know) plenty of women having major issues because of them now.

my missus asked me for $8000, i asked what for.
she told me it was for a boob job so i just handed he some toilet paper and told her to rub it between her boobs to make them bigger
she asked how the hell is that going to work?
i told her, it worked on your bum didnt it !

I cant find a single scientific peer reviewed research finding that says lead in bullets is not dangerous. A quick search brings up hundreds that says it is.

E.g. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/...Ammunition.pdf

I expect that there is something in all of this.

Originally Posted by Tahr

I cant find a single scientific peer reviewed research finding that says lead in bullets is not dangerous. A quick search brings up hundreds that says it is.

E.g. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/...Ammunition.pdf

I expect that there is something in all of this.

The NZHS "expert" panel says otherwise

Originally Posted by Tahr

I cant find a single scientific peer reviewed research finding that says lead in bullets is not dangerous. A quick search brings up hundreds that says it is.

E.g. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/...Ammunition.pdf

I expect that there is something in all of this.

Oh I'm not denying there is something in this.... But I'm more than willing to bet my life that something other than tiny bit of lead ingested from game I shot,will be responsible for tipping me off my perch eventually. I mean 99% if not more,of people who ate carrots grown in 1930 are all DEAD.yet most of us happily still eat them.