CDC Study Shows No Health Risk Associated with Traditional Ammunition

National Shooting Sports Foundation ^ | November 6, 2008 | NA

[neverdem]

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study on human lead levels of hunters in North Dakota has confirmed what hunters throughout the world have known for hundreds of years, that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition poses absolutely no health risk to people, including children, and that the call to ban lead ammunition was and remains a scare tactic being pushed by anti-hunting groups to forward their political agenda.

Today, additional information became available about the CDC study, originally released yesterday, that is important to disseminate to hunters, their families and the general public about the total and complete lack of any evidence of a human health risk from consuming game harvested using traditional ammunition. For instance, in the study the average lead level of the hunters tested was lower than that of the average American.

In the CDC's study, children's lead levels had a mean of just 0.88 micrograms per deciliter, which is less than half the national average for children and an infinitesimally small fraction of the level that the CDC considers to be of concern for children (10 micrograms per deciliter). Yet, despite the total and complete lack of any evidence from this study of the existence of a human health risk, the Department of Health nevertheless urges that children under 6 and pregnant women not eat venison harvested using traditional ammunition. The North Dakota Department of Health's recommendation is based on a "zero tolerance" approach to the issue of blood lead levels that is not supported by science or the CDC's guidelines.

To further put in perspective the claims concerning the safety of game harvested using traditional ammunition, consider this statement from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) -- a state agency that has conducted an extensive panel of blood-lead testing for more than 15 years: "IDPH maintains that if lead in venison were a serious health risk, it would likely have surfaced within extensive blood-lead testing since 1992 with 500,000 youth under 6 and 25,000 adults having been screened." It has not.

[neverdem]

Government study warns of lead levels in wild game

Blood lead level study results released

Go figure. I can't find the CDC study.

[Defiant]

No health risk, unless you get shot with it. A dangerous form of lead poisoning.

[gwilhelm56]

**No health risk, unless you get shot with it. A dangerous form of lead poisoning.**

That study starts NEXT WEEK ... as soon as the GOVT CHECK for $45,000,000 CLEARS!!!

[smokingfrog]

I think they are more concerned with lead getting into the environment from factories that produce ammunition, and the exposure to people that work in ammunition plants and at places like indoor firing ranges.

[neverdem]

TB Strain Called a Growing Public Threat

Unusual mode of firearm injury from the recoiled rear end of a gun barrel PDF link that's not for the faint hearted. I found it looking for the CDC study on lead ammo.

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[Myrddin]

A properly designed indoor range includes ventilation flowing from behind the firing line toward the targets. That carries the lead laden smoke away from the shooters. The metallic lead is collected from the traps and is a long distance from the shooters.

I have patronized a couple indoor ranges around Denver that were frankly piss poor. I fired a round of 38SPL and was surrounded in smoke. At that point I stopped my activity and put my remaining ammunition and firearms away. The rest of my trips were to the outdoor range at Cherry Creek.

[smokingfrog]

I’ve been to a poor indoor range in Houston and an excellent one in Dallas. I prefer to shoot outdoors, but sometimes it is just too hot!

[Myrddin]

The PDF was interesting. I was perplexed at the mention of a "nozzle". Perhaps on a squirt gun. Closing the skull suture with bone dust is a nice touch. It sounds as if the firearm was an old revolver with an improperly timed cylinder. The axis of the charge hole was not centered on the forcing cone, but the primer was still accessible to the firing pin. Ignition of the powder blew the frame apart. The part extracted from the patient's skill still contained the barrel, forcing cone, bullet and brass casing. Perhaps enough gas went down the barrel to drive it into his skull. The lateral x-ray shows the barrel split lengthwise near the breech. Messy by any account.

[Myrddin]

I enjoyed a great indoor range at American Shooting Center in San Diego. For $375 annually, my wife and I had unlimited use. We were there 3 to 5 days a week. Since moving to Idaho, my outdoor range is $38 per year...unlimited use. Unlimited except by weather and sunlight. There are few days when the wind is calm enough to stand up a paper target. I've purchased a bunch of steel spinners with ratings from .22LR to 30-06. There's also the matter of time. I had predictable work hours at the company office in San Diego. Now that I work from my house, I get calls all day long. Free time for shooting is the limited intersection of actual free time and suitable weather. Not very often. Trying to shoot 25 yard slow pistol targets in a 15 knot wind at +40F is frustrating. Manual dexterity goes down the tubes when your hands get very cold.

[The Cajun]

Yes, but banning lead ammo makes so much sense to the anti-gun groups and their simple minded scared of everything dupes.

[Joe Boucher]

Wait til next year when the dems control the universe.
Another study will find that ALL ammo is unhealthy and will be banned.

[SunkenCiv]

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study on human lead levels of hunters in North Dakota has confirmed what hunters throughout the world have known for hundreds of years, that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition poses absolutely no health risk to people, including children, and that the call to ban lead ammunition was and remains a scare tactic being pushed by anti-hunting groups to forward their political agenda.

thanks neverdem.

[Hot Tabasco]

I think they are more concerned with lead getting into the environment from factories that produce ammunition

No, they are more concerned with getting lead ammo stigmatized, then demonized then ultimately banned..........right out of the anti-tobacco playbook and right in line with the groups trying to ban firearms.

If you can't ban the guns, then tax the hell out of them so's they can't afford 'em. And if you tax the hell out of the ammunition or ban the ammo, their legally owned firearms are useless...........