On Mon, 17 Jul 1995, Don Baccus wrote:

> Can't be much more full of lead than waterfowl taken by hunters.

> At the risk of offending Jon Anderson,

Hard to do, Don.

>I might add that many
> hunters show an intellectual and cultural level of development
> that may correlate with a diet of hunted waterfowl during
> their crucial childhood years...

Gee, I thought that my lack of intellectual and cultural attainments were
the direct result of having been reared downwind from the Teledyne Wah
Chang rare metals plant in Albany, Oregon... They never did tell me what
were/are in those factory emissions.

> With a straight face, "would you like regular or unleaded, sir?".

Well, Don -

The waterfowl hunters would note that you'll have to take them
UN-leaded. Lead shot has been proscribed from the duck/goose hunters'
tools for a number of years, and the current requirement is that steel
shot be used in its stead. Maybe some of the wildlife management types
can help with a history, but some places (e.g. Finley NWR, Oregon) have
had a steel shot requirement since at least 1975!

Like any foods, wild or store-bought, "environmental" levels of heavy
metals and the organochlorine compounds vary widely. Although there are
still areas in the mid-West where the authorities caution against eating
much fish, I am not aware of recent findings that a wild duck dinner will
raise your blood toxin levels. Of course, birds that migrate into
Mexico, etc will still pick up lead shot, and some local birds might even be
picking up lead fishing sinkers, etc. I understand that a few areas that
have 'impermeable' substrates (claypan, etc) might still have
concentrations of lead shot from the bad old days, but the lead shot is
covered by silt, or farmed under or whatever in most places.

I, of course, was referring to the U.S. ban on lead shot for waterfowl
hunting. Can the Canadians in our group enlighten us regarding their
nation's laws/rules on the use of lead or steel shot for waterfowl hunting?
You northerners aren't poisoning "our" wintering waterfowl, are you? ;-)

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov