A group of 100 environmental organizations has petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate lead in ammunition as a toxic substance.
The groups argue that more than 75 species, including the California condor and bald eagle, are harmed when they feed on the carcasses of animals killed by lead bullets and shot. Hunters who eat meat from animals killed with lead ammunition also face a risk of lead poisoning, they say, because tiny fragments of ammunition migrate from the original wound site into more distant tissue. Research has found that lead poisoning can cripple motor coordination and cause digestive problems, blindness and death.
"The EPA has taken steps to address toxic lead in almost every available product from gasoline to plumbing to toys," said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, which is leading the campaign. "The one source of lead that is still causing significant lead exposure is hunting ammunition and fishing tackle."
Huffington Post reports