Replacing the Poison Bullet: Lead-Based Ammunition Causes Cascading Harm

When a hunter shoots a deer, elk, or other animal with lead ammunition, the damage extends far beyond the target. Upon impact, the bullet splinters into tiny fragments that scatter throughout the body. Many of these particles are so small they are not detectable even by X-ray, and they are impossible to completely remove from game meat destined for consumption.

Once the animal is dead, hunters will typically gut the carcass and dump a pile of internal organs and entrails on the ground. This attracts scavengers and predators, such as bald eagles and critically endangered California condors, looking to score an easy meal yet unaware that it is riddled with a toxic heavy metal. Bullets that miss their mark linger in the environment, with lead leaching into the soil and water—poisoning other innocent wildlife.

Lead has long been recognized as a toxin. In ancient Greece, for instance, the physician Hippocrates linked lead exposure to serious health problems among metal workers. Although the United States has banned this dangerous metal from virtually all consumer products—from toys to paint to gasoline—the hunting industry still embraces the use of copper-coated, lead-core bullets instead of transitioning to widely available non-lead alternatives. In fact, ammunition is considered one of the largest unregulated sources of lead knowingly discharged into the environment.

Animals suffering from lead poisoning can endure a long, painful death, often involving emaciation, paralysis, and organ failure. As many as 10 to 20 million birds and other animals die each year from lead poisoning in the United States, including red-tailed hawks, sandhill cranes, coyotes, and black bears who ingest lead shot, bullet fragments, or prey contaminated with lead ammunition. In some areas of the country, 15–20 percent of bald eagle deaths are attributable to lead poisoning. Lead from repeated exposures can accumulate in the bones of long-lived species. Among raptors, for instance, nonfatal lead poisoning can result in loss of coordination and strength, decreased mental ability, drooping or sagging wings, and other symptoms. Some of the most devastating effects occur in young animals, such as impaired development of the brain, anemia, decreased growth rates, and increased mortality in hatchling birds.

Although acute lead poisoning among humans is now rare in the United States, chronic, low-level lead toxicity from consuming wild meat remains a public health problem. There is no safe level of lead exposure for people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As with animals, lead poisoning is particularly dangerous to the most vulnerable members of human society. One study estimated that 90 percent of children younger than 7 years old who eat two meals a month of venison from deer killed by lead bullets will have lead levels in their blood exceeding “tolerable” amounts. The CDC reports that children exposed to lead can experience brain and nervous system damage, delayed growth, behavior and learning issues, and speech and hearing problems. Pregnant women with small concentrations of lead in their blood are at risk of premature birth, and paternal lead exposure can cause congenital problems. In adults, long-term lead exposure can manifest as kidney disease, hypertension, and heart disease.

AWI strongly advocates getting the lead out of hunting ammunition, especially when cost-effective, nontoxic alternatives such as steel, copper, and bismuth are readily available. After the US Fish and Wildlife Service banned lead shot for hunting waterfowl across the country in 1991, the price of non-lead shot fell. Today, 14 types of nontoxic shot are approved by the USFWS. Hunters consistently rate non-lead ammunition to be as effective as its lead counterparts; Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, a sportsmen’s organization, stated: “The reasons for switching to non-lead are numerous,” including “less risk of lead fragments ending up on dinner plates and in the bellies of scavengers.” Nevertheless, lead bullets remain the most common ammunition type for hunting.

Most recently, in June, AWI provided comments to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in support of the state’s efforts to reduce the use of lead ammunition, including initiatives to expand hunter education and outreach, and to improve access to nontoxic alternatives. In Massachusetts, AWI provided testimony to the state legislature commending H 1047, a bill that requires the use of non-lead ammunition when hunting wildlife. The bill, introduced in January by Rep. Danillo Sena (D-37th Middlesex), neither impedes hunters nor prevents hunting; rather, it protects hunters, their families, and wildlife. If passed, it would establish the state as a leader in reducing the catastrophic environmental effects of lead ammunition.

The vast majority of the nation’s 570 national wildlife refuges allow hunting. In July, AWI testified before the USFWS Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council to voice support for the agency’s Voluntary Lead-Free Hunting Ammunition Incentive Program. The program, launched in fall 2024 on seven refuges, educates hunters about the devastating impacts of lead poisoning on wildlife and humans, along with reimbursing them for the cost of lead-free ammunition. Based on initial positive results and feedback, the agency decided to nearly double the number of refuges covered under the program for at least another year.

Unlike many animal welfare and human health issues, there is a silver bullet for the lead shot problem. Widespread adoption of lead-free ammunition would reduce the cumulative harm inflicted on animals from lead exposure. It would also protect people from unknowingly ingesting toxic fragments in their venison stew.