More on lead in Venison

DEC now has a web page with general information for hunters and meat processors about lead fragments in hunter-harvested venison. See http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/48420.html. The page includes links to NYS Dept of Health web pages about lead exposure and links to research from Minnesota.

For health related cautions and advice, we are directing readers to the NYSDOH.

Thanks for your review and comments on this issue.


Jeremy Hurst
Wildlife Biologist

NYSDEC, Bureau of Wildlife
625 Broadway, 5th Floor
Albany, NY 12233
Phone: 518-402-8867
Fax: 518-402-8925
jehurst@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Get the lead out

Here's a piece of blog material from Path Walker, posted on his behalf.

PW's thoughts? "The thing that stands out to me on the lead bullet subject is shot placement -- i.e. head/neck is the way to go, and definitely avoid shoulder shots. "

Click on "Lead Fragments in Venison" for Jim Braaten's full blog entry. Enjoy.

Lead Fragments In Venison

by Jim Braaten

I spent all day yesterday at a conference convened in Bloomington, Minnesota, but attended by agencies from 7 different states, to discuss the current hot-topic concern of lead fragments being found in venison. States such as North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Missouri all collaborated to share information and discuss the potential health hazards to the venison consuming public.

As you can imagine, during an all-day conference a lot of good information came out. Represented were officials from all the different state wildlife departments, as well as from agriculture and public health departments. Also rounding out the list of attendees were various special interest groups promoting hunting and professional meat packers. Suffice it to say the group was quite broad and the topic was truly examined from very diverse perspectives.

The perceived problem: Using lead bullets will often fragment upon impact and this metallic lead dispersal can be retained in the deer’s carcass and eventually make it to the hunter’s table where it can be ingested by the hunter’s family. To read more on events creating this controversial topic and the tons of hunter-donated venison subsequently pulled from food shelves back in March, click here.