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Lead contamination in hunted meat has the potential to impact the health of millions of people in the U.S. who are connected to the hunting community, including low-income recipients of venison donations.

However, a lack of communication from public health agencies and health professionals leaves people who eat hunted meat without a trusted source of information about the health risks and advice for reducing exposure to lead.

An investigation of dozens of studies about lead in hunted meat, preventative information about lead, and questionnaires used to identify patients at high risk for lead exposure, along with hours of interviews with hunters who use lead ammunition, revealed a concerning disparity between what is known about risks of exposure to lead in hunted meat, and what is shared with the hunting community. Hunters reported either never hearing about this topic, or hearing about it from perceived anti-hunting sources, resulting in a deep mistrust about the topic of lead. In addition, healthcare providers and health departments are not including the dangers of lead in wild game in their preventative information or questionnaires to identify children and pregnant women at risk for lead exposure.

There is no safe level of lead in the blood. Levels above 5 micrograms/deciliter (g/dL) are considered elevated and have been associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and decreased IQ. However, developing brains exposed to even lower levels are at risk for attention-related behavioral problems, decreased cognitive performance, and increased incidence of problem behaviors.

Althoughneurotoxiceffects of lead may be the most widely-known, low levels of lead in the blood have been associated with a range of serious health effects, includingkidney diseaseand impacts to thecardiovascular system. The mechanisms behind the toxic effects of lead are not fully understood.

As lead ammunition use continues to be widespread among U.S. hunters, experts say it is crucial that health officials get a message out to hunting communities, including useful advice for hunters who will continue to use lead. Hunters want to know what the risks are and what options they have to keep their families safe.

This is also an issue of environmental reproductive justice for girls and women who, with each meal of contaminated meat, add to the burden of lead in their bones that can affect the outcomes of their future pregnancies.

Dr. Ned Ketyer, Washington County, Pennsylvania-based pediatrician, told EHN, Were learning more every day about the significant adverse health impacts of lead on human health, especially childrens health.

As we continue putting more lead into the environment, and continue to expose ourselves and our children to lead, at some point it makes sense to say, Wait a minute, what are we doing?'

Researchers found lead ammunition fired from high-powered rifles contaminated carcasses more than slower-moving lead slugs fired from shotguns. (Credit: mr.smashy/flickr)

While lead was banned from waterfowl ammunition in the U.S. in 1991, the majority of people who hunt other types of game use lead ammunition.

Upon impact, a lead bullet can fragment into tiny microparticles, too small to see with the naked eye or sense when eating. A deer processor in Pennsylvania who requested anonymity shared his first-hand experience. Seventy-five percent of the time when I find a bullet in the carcass, I only find the base. I know the lead is all in the meat somewhere, he told EHN.

Scientists have used X-rays to visualize andcountsometimes hundreds of minute lead particles in hunted meat, and have detected high concentrations of lead in hunted carcasses using chemical analysis. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administrationdoes not recognizea safe limit for the amount of lead in meat, the European Commissionsetmaximum levels at 0.1 parts per million (ppm).

Concentrations of lead more than 100 times this limit have beendetectedin the meat of lead-shot carcasses as far as six inches from the entry wound.

In 2009, biologists from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources x-rayed deer and sheep carcasses that were shot with lead ammunition to make any lead fragments visible. Theyfoundsome types of lead bullets fragmented more than others, and that fragmentation was more extensive when poorly-placed shots struck large bones.

They also found that lead ammunition fired from high-powered rifles contaminated carcasses more than slower-moving lead slugs fired from shotguns.

For most people, lead exposure occurs primarily through eating, drinking, or inhalation. While inhaling airborne lead from gun smoke produced by a firearm is arecognizedrisk factor for lead exposure, eating lead-contaminated meat is widely ignored, despite scientific evidence.

Multiple studies have found a direct link between game harvested with lead ammunition and spikes in blood lead.

Three studies about consumption of lead-hunted meat were published in 2018.

Hunted venison is typically part of the menu at the Tent, an annual event for hunters in the Allegheny National Forest since 1947. (Credit: Mike Bleech)

After an adults digestive system absorbs lead from a meal, the resulting concentration of lead in the blood typicallydecreasesby approximately 50 percent every month. But that doesnt mean all the lead has left the body. Instead, some lead moves from the blood to the skeleton, where it remains for decades.

As a result, blood-lead levels can be deceivingly low months after peak consumption of lead-hunted meat. For example, astudyin Greenland identified a clear seasonal variation in blood lead levels, with peaks during the months when consumption of hunted meat was highest, and decreases during months of lower consumption.

No study has been conducted in the U.S. to understand monthly patterns of blood-lead levels among people who eat lead-hunted meat. Yet the National Shooting Sports Foundationstates, A study from 2008 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on blood- lead levels of North Dakota hunters confirmed that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition does not pose a human health risk.

However, the referencedstudycollected blood samples five months after the hunting season, and reported results for people who ate wild game in general it was not determined whether the meat was hunted with archery, non-lead ammunition, or lead ammunition. A significant difference of 0.30 g/dL was observed between the average concentration of lead in the blood of people who reported eating wild game compared to those who did not.

Children hunters. (Credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District)

There are some potential consequences of lead exposure unique to women and their fetuses. Due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, lead that has been stored in the skeleton is released into the blood, exposing both mother and fetus. As a result, high levels of lead in mothers bones have beenidentifiedas a risk factor for impaired mental development in infants.

In addition to neurotoxic effects, potential consequences to the fetus or infant includelow birthweightandspontaneous abortion.

Onestudyof pregnant women found the odds of a spontaneous abortion nearly doubled for each 5 g/dL increase in blood lead. Lead is also amajor risk factorfor preeclampsia, a high-blood pressure condition that can have severe consequences for the mother and infant. Women who experience adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsiafaceincreased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases as they age.

Many pregnant and breastfeeding women arent receiving recommended screening for lead exposure, and even those who are screened may not be asked the right questions to detect all potential sources of exposure, Dr. Jennifer Braverman, assistant professor in the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine at University of Colorado, told EHN. Asking women about consumption of lead-hunted meat may identify women at risk of adverse outcomes who are currently being missed.

Doctors decide whether to test a pregnant womans blood based on answers to a questionnaire about exposure to lead. However, consumption of hunted meat is not included in any of the 12 risk factors for lead exposure recognized by theAmerican College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and is also absent from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC)Guidelinesfor the identification of lead exposure in pregnant and lactating women.

Even though some parts of a lead-hunted carcass may be free of lead and safe for pregnant women to eat, it is not possible to identify contaminated meat with the naked eye, and levels of contamination vary from carcass to carcass.

Dr. Braverman told EHN that since its not clear how to choose safe portions of lead-hunted meat, preventative information about lead-hunted meat could be provided along with other nutritional advice. We provide education about mercury. We talk about how to avoid listeria. I think its reasonable to add to that, dont eat lead-hunted meat.'

Braverman also emphasized that even if women avoid ingesting lead during pregnancy, the lead they accumulated before pregnancy can still pose risks.

Certainly it would be better to avoid lead exposure for your whole life.

Childhood prevention information related to hunted meat is absent from theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics, theCDC,EPA, and guidance from state health departments such as thisbrochurefrom the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Although the New York Department of Health issued the followingstatement, people who eat game harvested with lead shot may be exposed to lead.

This is of greatest concern for young children because they are particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of lead, the topic is absent from the departments advice onChildhood Lead Poisoning Prevention. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services acknowledges concerns about lead exposure from eating hunted meat, andrecommendsuse of non-lead ammunition. However, the topic is absent from the departments lead prevention information, Feeding Your Child.

The most common policy in the U.S. is for children to have their blood-lead levels tested by the age of two, before they are likely to consume large amounts of hunted meat. But exposure to lead after the age of two matters. Blood-lead levels of 6-year-olds have been more stronglyassociatedwith impaired cognitive and behavioral development compared to blood-lead levels measured earlier in childhood. This highlights the importance of questionnaires for identifying older children at high risk of lead exposure, and the need for a question about consuming hunted meat.

Its something pediatricians should be asking. Do you eat venison or other locally hunted meat? it might be useful to add this question to the lead questionnaire we give to parents of infants and toddlers, Dr. Ketyer told EHN.

Venison meat. (Credit: Chris Davies/flickr)

These concerns extend to those who eat venison donated to food pantries.

Venison donation programs have provided millions of meals to food banks across the country. States with venison donation programs include those that also harvest themost deer: Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Georgia. None of these five states require x-ray inspection of meat for lead contamination.

In 2008, astudyanalyzed nearly 200 packages of venison from food pantries in Wisconsin, but it is unknown how many packages contained meat that was hunted with firearms. Lead was detected in 15 percent of packages; the average level in lead-contaminated meat was 160 ppm. At this concentration of lead, the study predicted 81 percent of children who consumed just two meals of venison per month would experience blood-lead levels above 10 ug/dL.

In terms of other states, Minnesota requires x-rayinspectiondue to documented lead contamination of donated venison. However, North Dakota and Iowa currently accept venison donations to food banks without lead inspection, despite previous findings of lead contamination.

The Iowa Department of Public Health hasresponded, pointing out that no cases of concerning blood-lead levels in the states children have ever been attributed to lead in venison. However, this fails to recognize that most children tested in Iowas program are tested from ages 0-3. This also fails to take into consideration that blood-lead levels tested several months after the hunting season may be deceptively low.

Evidence of lead contamination in donated venison first came to light in 2008. North Dakota hunter and physician Dr. William Cornatzer saw an x-ray image of a lead-contaminated carcass during a board meeting of the Peregrine Fund, a conservation organization focused on birds of prey. Soon after, he led a project to x-ray packages of venison donated to the states food banks. The images revealed lead contamination in 60 percent of samples. I about fell out of my chair. he told EHN. He realized his children and pregnant wife had likely been exposed to lead from his own hunted venison.

I dont think humans should be eating lead-contaminated meat, and I dont think we should be donating it to people who cant afford alternatives, he said. Unfortunately, a lot of people took this as, Somebodys trying to take my bullets away, somebodys trying to take my guns away.'

The Peregrine Fund issued a statement in response to accusations directed at Dr. Cornatzer and characterizations of the organization as anti-hunting extremists: To build support for their own agenda, special interest groups have deliberately tried to smear the integrity of thoughtful, dedicated health and wildlife professionals and create fear of losing hunting and gun rights among their constituents. Smear and fear is a well-known technique for manipulating public opinion when facts are absent. Their action is disingenuous and not in the interests of wildlife or human health, including the health of their own constituents.

Across the state line, Lou Cornicelli, Wildlife Research Manager and author of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources specialreporton lead contamination of hunted meat, had a similar experience.

I got crazy accusations just because we described what might happen if you shoot a lead bullet, Cornicelli told EHN. It evoked a strong reaction from people, like The next thing youre going to do is take my guns away.'

At the time Cornicelli ran the states big game program and was responsible for regulation-setting, the annual harvest was roughly a quarter of a million deer per year. And yet he received accusations of being a secret agent for the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

People would ask, Are you an anti-hunter? No. Just because I dont want to eat lead doesnt mean Im against hunting, he said.

When asked for a comment regarding lead-contaminated meat, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) sent a link to theirfactsheeton lead-based ammunition, which claims the lead detected in North Dakotas donated meat was part of the Peregrine Funds agenda to ban lead ammunition. In reality, the stated mission of the Peregrine Fund is to preserve our wildlife conservation and hunting heritage through voluntary incentive-based outreach and education aimed at increasing the use of non-lead alternatives.

The NSSF also told EHN that their support for educating hunters extends to discussing options hunters have for limiting exposure such as burying entrails after field dressing and careful meat processing.

Group of deer hunters. (Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife/flickr)

Natural resources officials may be appropriate messengers to discuss lead-contaminated meat, however, there are two problems. Elaboration on potential health effects is often avoided, viewed as the domain of health departments. Second, many hunters strongly disagree with their states deer management decisions, and view any information from the responsible department with deep suspicion.

Kevin, Perry, and brothers Robert and Gary have been hunting together with lead ammunition for decades, since they were 12. We met with them in November and they requested EHN use their first names only. They believe that advice about how to avoid the potential health effects of consuming lead-shot meat should be more accessible to the hunting community.

According to Kevin, lead exposure is not a topic of conversation among hunters.

Its not really brought up. People in the hunting community dont really know about it, he told EHN.

Robert believes this should change, and emphasized the need for information to be free of anti-hunting or anti-ammunition agendas.

I think its important not just for hunters to understand it, but for people who are ingesting the meat from hunters, whether its their families or people eating whats been donated, that they understand there are potential consequences, he told EHN. But it has to be clear theres no hidden agenda It needs to be pure, science-driven, here are the facts, were not legislating anything, just saying heres what the issues are.'

Gary sees opportunities for communication by healthcare providers. He told EHN, I was in the doctors office today, my heart doctor. You go in, just like when you go to the diagnostic center, and they have those pamphlets Are you a lady of childbearing years? Are you a pre-diabetic?' He suggested that information about lead-hunted meat be presented similarly, Why cant that information be funneled through the health industry into pamphlets?

For Perry, the issue centers on information parents should receive before their child is old enough to start eating lead-shot meat. I would say one of the biggest possibilities is a pediatrician. The biggest. Because youre feeding that baby deer meat once it gets older, he told EHN. Somebodys going to come in there with their baby, and the pediatrician will check it all over, and then say Oh here, this is what I want you to read. The doctors have to get it out there.

Dr. Ketyer emphasized that its not just about what is being communicated, but the way it is communicated.

How we communicate is the key. This is not about challenging the hunting lifestyle we need to consider what would be most useful for families that hunt, he said. People should have an opportunity to understand the risks to themselves and their children. I didnt know is not acceptable to a pediatrician.

While switching to alternative ammunition is the most effective way to eliminate lead contamination of hunted meat, Cornicelli said he understands why many hunters choose to continue using lead ammunition. There are real reasons why people dont switch the commercial availability of copper is lower, and the price is higher, he said. A large shift to copper is going to be predicated on manufacturers ramping up production, driving costs down, and making availability more broad.

As a result, Minnesotas DNR provided hunters with examples of ways to reduce lead exposure, even if they continue to use lead ammunition. These include selecting shotguns instead of high-powered rifles, and avoiding acidic cooking ingredients, since acids can dissolve even more of the lead into the food.

Additional advice for hunters who use lead ammunition is to avoid shooting the deer in regions of the body with heavy bones, such as shoulders and hips, where the resulting impact scatters more lead into the meat. The anonymous deer processor in Pennsylvania told EHN he cautions his customers, Pick your shots. If youre not comfortable shooting at a running deer, dont do it. Wait for a better shot. And its not just to have meat thats not contaminated with lead. Its also better for the animal you dont want the animal to suffer.

Dr. Braverman pointed out the need to include hunters in the process of identifying strategies to reduce lead exposure,

We need more research about what effective interventions are for people eating a lot of hunted meat, she said. Its important to ask, culturally, what works for people in their life? What do they think about this?

Gary summed up the challenge of communicating about lead exposure from hunted meat, Its easy to say, Well, its not going to happen to me. That lead, it didnt bother my dad or my grandfather, or my aunt, or my uncle, so its not going to happen to me.'

His brother Robert added, But we dont know that it didnt affect them. Now the science could exist to say, you know Grandpa had this, and this, and lead could have contributed.

Sam Totoni is a graduate student in Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

James Fabisiak is an Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Director of the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

Martha Ann Terry is a faculty member in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at Pitts Graduate School of Public Health.

This article originally appeared in Environmental Heath News. It was republished under a Creative Commons license.

Here is the original post:
Lead in hunted meat: Who's telling hunters and their families? - UPMC

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