Thread: Lead Contamination In Game Meat

having nursed IIRC4-6cases of terminall illness due to lead poisoning-(yes its terminal like a lot of mental illness death is the only detergent) in my frontline mental health career of nigh on 5decades,i can unequivocally state majority of those were due 100% to consistent high dose exposure to lead..two alas were born with it due to parental factors ,another couple were old time plumbers and drainlayers-one of whom used to come home covered in it according to his wife .her complaints were met with "whats persil washing powder for".one of the others was originally diagnosed with infant foetal alcohol syndrome ,only later was it found by sheer chance his blood contained very high residual lead levels.
presentation -traumatic for both individual and kinfolk-e is what ill say.

Originally Posted by Average-Lad

Awesome to see someone do a scientifically backed experiment. I've had this question come up a few times and feel alot more informed now thanks!

One X-ray doth not an experiment make. Be careful of technology disguised as science.

@kotuku, I’m curious how many of these patients were off the older generation where they grew up in an environment in which they were exposed to lead on a regular basis. For example lead/copper water pipes, lead based paints eg. stripping and repainting furniture/ houses etc. Back a generation or two lead was everywhere and health & safety wasn’t even a phrase. Fair enough you got to see some grim effects on human health, lord knows we have enough health problems, but I think society these days is too wrapped up in cotton wool and paranoid about every potential health problem that they just don’t buckle down and just get on with life.

Originally Posted by woods223

@kotuku, I’m curious how many of these patients were off the older generation where they grew up in an environment in which they were exposed to lead on a regular basis. For example lead/copper water pipes, lead based paints eg. stripping and repainting furniture/ houses etc. Back a generation or two lead was everywhere and health & safety wasn’t even a phrase. Fair enough you got to see some grim effects on human health, lord knows we have enough health problems, but I think society these days is too wrapped up in cotton wool and paranoid about every potential health problem that they just don’t buckle down and just get on with life.

Lead based paint was certainly an issue. Toddlers are known for chewing stuff and cotts were often painted with lead paint. That's worst scenario.
Didn't know NZ had lead water pipe. USA did, so did Rome. Lol

Children are by far most at risk, that's one of the reasons they banned lead in pencils yonks ago.

Vapours, because of their size are most dangerous, hence lots of ventilation when casting. Especially if you do a lot of it.

But the consumption by an adult of a few #7 pellets every year will amount to zilch. Simply put its about the dose. Take a couple of panadol and it helps you, take a box it will fuk your liver. Lead isn't that much different. But 0 is best.
If your worried go to your Dr once a year and get a blood test. Our health is very important, but some of this stuff is drama queen territory.

Life is full of risks.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

One X-ray doth not an experiment make. Be careful of technology disguised as science.

100%. By no means take what we have done here as the be all and end all. Im hoping to shortly repeat the same process again, but have the whole carcass xrayd. The vet also suggested they could do another test next time that will be able to tell the difference between what is lead and what is copper. So that should be interesting.

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

When carbon arrows became popular, hunting with them was a big no no. As if an arrow broke in an animal carbon fibres would be released in to the meat and if ingested would cause you a slow lingering death. So the anti carbon brigade said anyway.
Someone must have changed the makeup of carbon because its all good now.
Lead seems to have gone the other way.

With so much information/disinformation on the internet these days its hard to know what to believe. Hence why im doing this with the xrays etc myself. Atleast then i know (within reason) with the type of hunting i do/projectiles i use/shots i take, what the results will be as far as how far the contamination really goes. End of the day ive been eating venison and other game meats since i was a child and im not going to stop now, i guess the whole purpose of this was i found it interesting more than anything. If the results had showed resonable spread of contamination through other parts of the animal / meat i would usually eat, would that stop me? To be honest probably not, because despite what the internet says i am yet to meet or know somebody that has ended up with lead poisoning as a result of eating venison etc shot with lead projectiles. And i enjoy hunting/harvesting the meat and eating it far too much to stop eating it because it MIGHT one day hurt my health according to the internet. If i met someone that legitimately had lead poisoning due to eating venison shot with lead projectiles and could see the undeniable evidence then that may well change my outlook, but theres far too much bullshit and hidden agendas on the internet to just take anything read online as gospel and run with it IMO.

Originally Posted by woods223

@kotuku, I’m curious how many of these patients were off the older generation where they grew up in an environment in which they were exposed to lead on a regular basis. For example lead/copper water pipes, lead based paints eg. stripping and repainting furniture/ houses etc. Back a generation or two lead was everywhere and health & safety wasn’t even a phrase. Fair enough you got to see some grim effects on human health, lord knows we have enough health problems, but I think society these days is too wrapped up in cotton wool and paranoid about every potential health problem that they just don’t buckle down and just get on with life.

The lot -as i said I spent 50yrs at the mental health frontline.of course there were many like this but such was the lifestyle of that time ,it wasnt till later the causative links were established.The ability of social media to whip people into a frenzy of fear has a lot to do with it these days.

@kotuku. I meant to say earlier on good on you for staying in that profession as long as you did. Even if you loved the job I imagine it would have , at times, taken great fortitude to stick at it as long as you did. Had an aunt work at Cherry Farm down Dunedin way years ago, she said it was too tough for her and went back to general nursing.

Originally Posted by woods223

@kotuku. I meant to say earlier on good on you for staying in that profession as long as you did. Even if you loved the job I imagine it would have , at times, taken great fortitude to stick at it as long as you did. Had an aunt work at Cherry Farm down Dunedin way years ago, she said it was too tough for her and went back to general nursing.

trust me-it didnt leave me unscathed,my last 5years were a nightmare including an attempt on my life and a cops ,after i stopped the mad cow from attempting to top herself. the last suicide I had (i cut him down and was part of the initial succesful CPR) also knocked the shit out of me. dealing with syncophantic staff and incompetent arselicking managers also didnt help -in fact that lead to me pulling the pin!

Currently sitting in a clearing on a hill part way through a circuit shooting goats. Contemplating how good life is at moment. Hop you’ve got enough gas in the tank to chill out and enjoy life @kotuku, you deserve it. Sorry about slight derailing of thread everyone.

NEVER need to apologize for checking in on another persons well being or having hard conversation that needs to be had.
you kick back and enjoy your day out on hill bud.

Originally Posted by csmiffy

From what I have learned over the years, ingested lead (small amount of course) isn't the problem. It is pretty inert in that state. Now lead based fumes are a completely different animal.
Like anything that is small enough to be respirated, it causes all sorts of problems

Yup, and the elephant in the room is that nearly all small arms primers are lead styphanate based. Guess what is in 'gunsmoke'?

So much for lead free ammo!

Originally Posted by woods223

Currently sitting in a clearing on a hill part way through a circuit shooting goats. Contemplating how good life is at moment. Hop you’ve got enough gas in the tank to chill out and enjoy life @kotuku, you deserve it. Sorry about slight derailing of thread everyone. Attachment 218435

thanks for the kind words MD is much the same -thoroughly enjoyed my chance to let of some steam with him too.yep i keep meself busy -just watching nz highland pipeband champs on livestream at mo 30yrs ago my old outfit the City of Christchurch hifghland pipe band won the transtasman grade 4 championship in this ver event hwere in CHCh.fond memories.MDthat scrub mate looks like some of the stuff in your spot.

Originally Posted by caberslash

Yup, and the elephant in the room is that nearly all small arms primers are lead styphanate based. Guess what is in 'gunsmoke'?

So much for lead free ammo!

Got a feeling not used any more. For just that reason.

Lead used to be a work place hazard in the printing industry. My father worked for Wilson and Horton (NZ Herald) in the 1950s-60s as a fitter and turner and had regular blood tests for lead from the old printing press plates that were melted. He never actually worked with the lead type setting plates but the lead was in the air.
Not sure how good the blood tests were in those days.