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PAULI and BUSKIRK: The case for 'green' bullets

By Jonathan N. Pauli and Steven W. Buskirk, Special to the Rocky

Published October 1, 2008 at 12:01 a.m.

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Rome wasn’t built in a day; it didn’t it collapse that suddenly, either.

War, famine, and disease all played their roles, but poisoning of the governing elite also contributed. Unsuspecting Romans were killed not by hemlock or cyanide, but by chronic exposure to elemental lead. This heavy metal, used for its malleability and resistance to corrosion, is a toxin, not beneficial in any amount. Lead poisons by mimicking other biologically important metals, binding to enzymes and interfering with key body functions. A single high dose of lead can be lethal; sub-lethal quantities affect neurological, gastrointestinal and renal functioning.

The toxic nature of lead was recognized as early as 200 B.C.E. In the 20th century, western societies went to increasing lengths to reduce human exposure, removing lead from paint, water lines and gasoline. Yet we continue to add lead to many ecosystems, exposing wildlife and humans to this toxin.

In the late 1800s biologists began reporting that waterfowl and upland birds were exhibiting symptoms of lead poisoning. Game birds were ingesting lead shotgun pellets while foraging or seeking grit. Because bird hunting is often concentrated within small areas, significant quantities of lead were deposited in important animal habitats. By the 1960s, more than 100,000 lead pellets per acre could be found in some wetlands, and an estimated 1.5 million-2.5 million birds died annually from ingesting lead shot. Further, raptors such as eagles and hawks were dying after scavenging lead-poisoned carcasses or capturing and eating birds wounded by lead shot.

Based on new understandings of this widespread problem, the use of lead pellets for waterfowl hunting was banned in the United States in 1991, and in Canada in 1997. Initially, hunters and manufacturers raised concerns over the efficacy and cost of non-toxic shot. However, education, research and development smoothed the transition to effective, relatively low-cost and lead-free pellets made of steel, tungsten, nickel, bismuth, and tin.

These bans have greatly reduced waterfowl poisoning across North America, as lead gradually is removed from areas where it was accessible. However, biologists continue to identify lead poisoning in wildlife, including in species not associated with waterfowl or wetlands. Mounting evidence suggests that significant quantities of lead enter ecosystems via hunting with lead bullets. Indeed, researchers have shown that hunters shooting large game, such as elk and deer, with center-fire rifles leave substantial amounts of bullet fragments behind in offal piles, which are subsequently scavenged by birds and mammals.

Recent research has also shown lead bullet fragments in big game meat subsequently eaten by hunters, their families and guests. Earlier this year, in North Dakota, ground venison was cleared from the freezers of soup kitchens after the discovery of lead contamination in the majority of the samples tested. Additionally, shooters using smaller animals - rabbits, coyotes and prairie dogs - for target practice deposit lead in carcasses, where it readily enters wildlife food chains. Because such target animals are not removed from the field for their meat or fur, millions of carcasses containing lead are available to scavenging birds and mammals each year. A high-profile victim of such poisoning is the endangered California Condor, which experts forecast will not successfully recover in the desert southwest until lead bullet fragments have been eliminated from this giant vulture’s carrion food sources.

Over 12 million hunters will take the outdoors this season, the majority using lead-based ammunition. Hunters are generally good stewards, concerned about how their activities affect wildlife and the environment. Many, recognizing the danger of lead, have voluntarily switched to using non-toxic, “green” ammunition. Manufacturers such as Barnes Bullets have identified this new demand and begun to offer non-toxic copper bullets that are ballistically comparable to and only slightly more expensive than lead-based products.

In areas where lead bullets provide a clear threat to wildlife, land and wildlife managers should monitor lead poisoning and regulate use of bullets more closely. For the California Condor, measures have already been initiated: in October 2007 Governor Schwarzenegger of California signed the Ridley-Tree Condor Conservation Act, outlawing the use of lead bullets for hunting in reintroduction areas for the condor.

Similarly, in New York, the Department of Environmental Conservation has switched to green ammunition for firearms training in an attempt to limit wildlife exposure to lead. Other regions that receive substantive lead deposition via hunting and shooting should also assess the importance of using lead bullets. At least in some places, lead bullets should be a technology of the dim past, just like the lead-coated drinking vessels of ancient Rome.

Jonathan N. Pauli is a Ph.D. candidate and Steven W. Buskirk is a faculty member in the Program of Ecology at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Comments

  • October 1, 2008

    8:39 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    a_watcher writes:

    Depleated Uranium is the obvious solution.

    (That is humor, before I get jumped on)

  • October 1, 2008

    12:09 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mark79trans writes:

    "Manufacturers such as Barnes Bullets have identified this new demand and begun to offer non-toxic copper bullets that are ballistically comparable to and only SLIGHTLY more expensive than lead-based products."

    --------------

    This is not a true statement especially for hand loaders. It is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. The US Military is expecting a several million dollar price tag associated with a switch to a tungsten alloy in order to keep their training ranges open. However, the military is banned by international agreement from using hollow point expansive bullets so there is little harm in using a bullet that shoots accurately and fragments as it should. The new alloys are still under development and their effectiveness (expansion properties) is still being tested. Their effectiveness in handgun cartridges is suspect given the necessity for expansion at the right penetration depths. To call a lead bullet a thing of the past is pushing it too far at this point in time. I can understand the use of a tungsten alloy bullet when hunting the same as using steel shot, but the lead bullet has its place especially for police officers and concealed carry holders. After significant testing with gelatin blocks and real data to support stopping power from a handgun, you may come back and write this article. Even then, recreational shooters will take a hit from the additional costs. Additionally, I am curious and concerned with regard to the degradation of the rifled barrel associated with the use of these alloys.

  • October 1, 2008

    12:29 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mark79trans writes:

    Incidentally, I just went to the Barnes website. The cost of 20 9mm 115gr bullets is $15.24. I just purchased 500 115 gr bullets jacketed bullets for $59. So, is 85% slightly more expensive?