When it comes to lead ingestion by waterfowl, there is merit to the toxcicity of lead, because birds have a gizzard whereing they take in stones, pebbles, sand etc to help grind up the seed food they eat. This grinding process in ingestion WILL grind off the protective oxide coating on lead pellets and hence slough off lead into the bird's system. On the other hand, as previously stated, lead pellets laying on the ground or even covered up by soil, or laying on the bottome of some body of water will form a durable oxide layer which protects metallic lead or its salts from entering the ecosystem. You've got to look at the situation of how lead is treated. As far as lead leaching into waterways and groudwater by the landfill route, this is very different than lead shot being used for hunting or trap/skeet applications. Once has to look at the specifics of how the heavy metal is used. The best example of the stupidity of people (read Press) to paint something with a broad brush is the issue of Thimersol. This is a murcury salt that has been used as a great topical disinfectant (eg, Mercurichrome- the red stuff us oldtimer used on scratches and scrapes) as well as for preservatives for injectible drugs as well as for contact lens solution baterialcides. This non-toxic (because it is not soluble in any appreciable amounts biologically) substance has saved more people from getting infections of the eye, skin, etc. than any other disinfectant. Yet, because it has murcury in it, it has basically disappeared, to the detrement of public health. I can't tell you how many more eye infections are attributable to it demise since it has been replaced by other, much less effective diinfectants. Again, the issue is general public ignorance that heavy metal based applications are not always bad.
