In the UK the threat of a lead shot ban hangs over us. Already forbidden when shooting waterfowl, the government are awaiting the final report from an already discredited investigatory committee.
Whenever the argument rages about lead shot, I am reminded about a post written in 2012 by Guy N Smith, who writes for several of our shooting magazines. This is what he said:
"Blood Test
I requested a blood test to determine the level of lead in my blood. According to the internet the acceptable blood lead concentrations in healthy persons without excessive exposure to environmental sources of lead is less than 10ug/dL for children and less that 25 ug/dL for adults. My doctor was somewhat surprised at my request but agreed, stating that I would have to pay for it. I was only too happy to fork out 40 in an attempt to dispel the malicious myth. It turned out to be money well spent.
I have eaten game since I was old enough to consume solid foods. During the war years when meat rationing was in force we ate whatever my father shot. Without the benefit of a freezer, this comprised game throughout the Winter months and fresh rabbit and pigeon during the rest of the year.
Further to this, I had a small cartridge loading business during the 1960's when I must have handled tons of lead shot. Nowadays I am stripping down shotgun cartridges on a regular basis for review in this column. Hence I am undoubtedly classified as having excessive exposure to lead.
The result of my test showed that the level of lead in my bloodstream was just 5ug/dL, half that of a child without excessive exposure! That says it all as far as I am concerned and I shall ignore further press releases on this ridiculous claim with the contempt it deserves."
http://midlandcartridge.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1Tim
