The opening day of the rifled deer season in Pennsylvania will find 900,000 hunters in pursuit of the state’s most popular game animal. Last year, there were more than 109,000 antlered and almost 214,000 antlerless deer harvested. That adds up to a tremendous amount of venison being consumed by families, but does venison harvested with lead ammunition pose a health risk?

According to Ted Novin, Director of Public Affairs with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the answer is a definite ‘no.’

“The notion by some that any amount of lead is a concern is scientifically unfounded rhetoric that runs contrary to nationwide, long standing standards of evaluation,” Novin said.

He further emphasizes, “A tremendous amount of misinformation has been propagated concerning the effects of lead ammunition on birds of prey and those who consume game- harvested meat taken with traditional ammunition. NSSF is focused on setting the record straight.”

What Novin is referring to is the overreaction of the North Dakota Department of Health. The agency accepted data from an independent source who claimed to have collected random packets of venison from food banks which revealed lead fragments. As a result, they banned the use of venison in their food banks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later conducted its own study using 740 participants from six different cities in North Dakota. Blood samples were taken to determine lead levels in their bodies. The study found that hunters had lower lead levels than the average American!

“In other words,” states the NSSF release, “if you were to randomly pick someone on the street, chances are they would have a higher blood lead level than the hunters in this study.”

Other encouraging information followed. Children under 6 years of age had less than half the amount of the national average of lead. Those older than 6 had even lower lead levels. The CDC’s level of lead concern is 10; the study showed .88.

These results have led the North Dakota Department of Health to encourage hunters to once again donate venison to local food banks.

In Pennsylvania, donated venison is channeled through a program called Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH). “Donated meat is processed into ground venison burger, and butchers have several inspection opportunity ‘windows’ to remove any foreign material, including ammunition fragments,” explains John Plowman, one of the state’s HSH coordinators.

“I do not foresee any problem with the quality or edibility of donated deer meat and I eat it all the time. It should be noted there have been no advisories issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Department of Health or any other public agencies about any lead problems with Pennsylvania venison. The NSSF is right on target,” he emphasizes.

The concern over lead fragments in venison seems to have surfaced quickly, and with a vengeance.

Novin, representing the views of the NSSF, believes that special interest and anti-hunting groups are pressuring state legislatures around the country to support a ban on lead ammunition.

“Make no mistake. These are politically driven groups who understand that, while an outright ban on hunting would be nearly impossible to achieve, dismantling the culture of hunting one step at a time is a realistic goal. Banning lead ammunition is the first step of this larger political mission,” he voiced.

His explanation is based on the fact that there is simply no scientific evidence or proof that lead ammunition is hazardous to children or adults. “It’s clear that any attempt to misrepresent the facts is part of a larger plan to outlaw such traditional ammunition.

“For over a century, hundreds of millions of Americans have safely consumed game harvested using traditional hunting ammunition,” he stated.

The Iowa Department of Public Health, a state agency that has been conducting lead-testing for more than 15 years, summarizes the debate. “We maintain that if lead in venison were a serious health risk, it would likely have surfaced within extensive blood-lead testing since 1992 with 500,000 youth under 6 and 25,000 adults having been screened. It has not.”

-- E-mail comments to owcam@verizon.net.



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Facts about venison

Information that hunters should know from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Study:

*** Consuming game harvested using traditional hunting ammunition does not pose a human health risk.

*** Study participants had readings lower than the national average and well below the level the CDC considers to be a concern.

*** Hunters are asked continue to donate venison to food pantries.

*** Since 1991, Pennsylvania’s Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) has channeled hunter’s donations of venison to local food banks, soup kitchens and needy families via an integrated network of local contacts and cooperating butcher shops. These donations have literally provided hundreds of thousands of meals to needy Pennsylvanians.

*** Last year, more than 100,000 pounds of venison was donated through HSH, and at least 200,000 meals of venison were delivered. Information taken from HSH website: http://www.sharedeer.org/

*** Anyone interested in donating venison through HSH should contact Gary Lewis of Danville at 271-6415 or Bob Garrett of New Berlin at 966-9253.

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