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Chemical compositional standards for non-lead hunting ammunition and fishing weights

  • Lead Use in Hunting
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Abstract

The chemical composition of non-lead, non-toxic, gunshot used for hunting waterfowl is regulated only in Canada and the USA. No nation regulates the composition of non-lead fishing weights, rifle bullets, and gunshot used for upland game hunting. Compositional criteria for these non-lead products are proposed here, based on established experimental toxicity protocols. Because of the demonstrated acute toxicity of ingested zinc shot to birds, fishing weights and gunshot should never be made of this pure metal. Nickel should be avoided as an incidental component of gunshot because of potential carcinogenicity concerns about such embedded shot in birds and other animals. These compositional criteria could be adopted by all nations undertaking the transition to non-lead fishing weights and hunting ammunition. The listed criteria would facilitate production and international trade in non-lead products, and promote easier enforcement and user compliance with non-lead standards.

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Notes

  1. The term “fishing weights” includes split shot, sinkers, worm weights, trolling weights, jigheads, and fishing gear or tackle.

  2. Non-lead means, currently, containing less than 1% lead by mass. This term is used synonymously with “lead-free.”

  3. Zinc is a commonly available, inexpensive metal that has a low melting point (419.5 °C), and can be made into shot using similar processes as for lead shot. Its density of 7.14 g/cm3 means that it can be used as a ballistic substitute for lead shot, especially in jurisdictions lacking compositional shot regulations. While zinc shot cartridges are marketed as “lead-free” the implication that they are non-toxic is false.

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the reviewers for their constructive comments on this paper. Funding was provided from the personal resources of Vernon G. Thomas.

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  1. Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

    Vernon G. Thomas

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Thomas, V.G. Chemical compositional standards for non-lead hunting ammunition and fishing weights. Ambio 48, 1072–1078 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-018-1124-x

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