Waterfowl poisoning halved by lead shot prohibition  January
16th, 2014 in Earth / Environment This shows X-ray of ducks with
lead shot in their gizzards (ingested) and in the rest of the
body (fired). Credit: IREC    "The most important part of our
work is that it shows that, despite it's still covering a
partial area, the change of material from lead to steel shot has
reduced waterfowl poisoning and the contamination of hunted
meat," Rafael Mateo Soria of the Hunting Resources Research
Institute (IREC) and co-author of the study, told SINC.  Lead
shot accumulating in wetlands, with over 100 per square metre in
many areas, remains in the sediments for decades.  Its main
damage is to the health of waterfowl. When the shot is eaten it
is retained in the gizzard and is worn down in the stomach,
freeing lead that reaches the animal's tissues.  "The birds
start to develop , they cannot move and they also suffer from
anaemia. Normally, if they ingest lead, they die with notable
emaciation after days or even weeks