Environmentalists take aim at toxic lead in ammunition [Birds love to eat lead?]

Kansas City Star ^ | 3/26/2012 | ROB HOTAKAINEN

[AdamBomb]

Using a canoe or her 10-foot Zodiac boat, Martha Jordan has scooped up hundreds of sick or dead trumpeter and tundra swans from Judson Lake in northwestern Washington state, the site of one of the worst known cases of lead poisoning among wildlife.

According to her count, at least 2,700 of them have died or needed to be euthanized since 1999 after eating lead from ammunition left in the wild by hunters. Jordan, a 62-year-old wildlife biologist from Everett, Wash., wonders why the federal government won't help more of the birds live by banning lead in ammunition.

[Puppage]

According to her count, at least 2,700 of them have died or needed to be euthanized since 1999 after eating lead from ammunition left in the wild by hunters

I say BS!

[Eureka_Lead]

agreed...

EL

[PosterPoster]

The government is too busy defending the life of unborn babies to help the birds. Perhaps, they can be moved up to 2nd on the list.

[Hodar]

According to her count, at least 2,700 of them have died or needed to be euthanized since 1999 after eating lead from ammunition left in the wild by hunters.

This is a meaninless number. According to "her" approximately 208 birds a year have died from Lead poisoning. How does she get to this number? Does she count birds in one month, then multiply by 12? Birds in this lake, or nationwide? How many die from cigarette smoke?

We've been using lead shot for Centuries - yet, for some unknown reason the rivers and lakes and ground-water in the heartland of America is still fairly healthy.

I submit that far more birds die slowly and painfully of infected wounds caused by Steel shot than would have been killed instantly if Lead shot were still allowed in many states.

[molson209]

she should scoop up some of the bottom and show us the lead ,oh wait the birds ate it all . A lot of birds do die from lead poisoning every hunting season .

[GeronL]

How many have died from windmills?

[ArrogantBustard]

Steel shot was mandated for waterfowl 20 years ago ... any lead shot in those lakes is buried under 20 years worth of silt and mud.

I call BS on this ...

[ElkGroveDan]

After this it will be fishing hooks. From there they will look to prevent road-kill. Fifty years from now it will be a crime to accidentally swallow a fly if our friends and neighbors don’t get a clue as to what these people are about.

[ColdOne]

BS on her claims...just sayin’!

[LucianOfSamasota]

Don’t birds eat small rocks for their gizzards?

How soluble is metallic lead?

[Lazlo in PA]

Birds love to eat lead?

I don't know, but I like to eat birds that eat lead.

[GladesGuru]

Rachel Carson, Martha Jordan - same sh*t, different names.

Note to all enviromentards: lots more than 2,700 birds are killed by windmills foisted on the public by leftards.

In legal terms, this should be a ‘de minimis’ issue.

[LazloToth]

This is merely the first salvo of a “Green” assault on the 2nd Amendment. It is more likely the waterfowl ate the fish that swallowed my sinker.

[LazloToth]

This is merely the first salvo of a “Green” assault on the 2nd Amendment. It is more likely the waterfowl ate the fish that swallowed my sinker.

[Paladin2]

Kill the windmills first.

[GOPJ]

Respect for ‘scientists’ is declining among those who are college educated. Too often these people push a liberal agenda with little regard for science. In short they ‘pis*ed away’ their respectability. If it's sad for them they can commiserate with unemployed members of the MSM... whose bosses did the same.

[TribalPrincess2U]

The government is too busy defending the life of unborn babies? Huh?

The people are doing that, I believe.

The government wants as many abortions as they can get and me to pay for them —for political purposes only.

[TigersEye]

I couldn't find much information on that but here is a study on the incidence of lead shot ingestion by waterfowl. It's a very detailed study (which is good but tedious to read) and from skimming it what I see is that the percentage of birds who ingest any shot, lead or steel, is very low. The percentage that ingest enough to get sick and die is even lower. It says on average a piece of shot only stays in their gizzard about 20 days.

A Review of the Problem of Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl

It doesn't say anything about proving that any waterfowl actually get sick or die from lead poisoning which would require tox screens of blood or tissue samples I am guessing. My take from that study is that it's a non-issue.

[trailboss800]

She is so lying. Judson Lake is a residential lake with no hunting or shooting. This is a total farce. Any sick swans are sick because people feed them from their docks. More liberal tricks here.