A new study has found that nearly half of all bald and golden eagles in the USA suffer from chronic and/or acute lead poisoning, which the research team believes is the result of these birds scavenging the remains of animals shot with lead bullets.

The study evaluated signs of lead exposure in a total of 1,210 bald and golden eagles from 38 states across America, taking blood samples from live eagles, and examining bone, livers and feathers from dead birds.

Of 448 birds whose bone samples were analyzed using plasma mass spectrometry, 47 percent of bald eagles and 46 percent of golden eagles were found to have bone lead concentrations over the clinical thresholds for chronic lead poisoning, indicating repeated exposure to lead over a long term. Rates appeared to rise with age.

Furthermore, there was evidence of acute lead poisoning as well – suggesting a recent, short-term, high-exposure event – in nearly a third of bald eagles and around 7-9 percent of golden eagles. In some cases – 25.8 percent of bald eagles and 4.9 percent of golden eagles – lead concentrations in the liver were high enough to hit very conservatively set thresholds above which lead poisoning is “generally determined to be the cause of death.”

https://newatlas.com/biology/american-eagles-lead-poisoning/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=980b2b9973-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_28_11_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-980b2b9973-92533145

Our negative impact on the planet shows no bounds does it.

PermeateFree said:

A new study has found that nearly half of all bald and golden eagles in the USA suffer from chronic and/or acute lead poisoning, which the research team believes is the result of these birds scavenging the remains of animals shot with lead bullets.

The study evaluated signs of lead exposure in a total of 1,210 bald and golden eagles from 38 states across America, taking blood samples from live eagles, and examining bone, livers and feathers from dead birds.

Of 448 birds whose bone samples were analyzed using plasma mass spectrometry, 47 percent of bald eagles and 46 percent of golden eagles were found to have bone lead concentrations over the clinical thresholds for chronic lead poisoning, indicating repeated exposure to lead over a long term. Rates appeared to rise with age.

Furthermore, there was evidence of acute lead poisoning as well – suggesting a recent, short-term, high-exposure event – in nearly a third of bald eagles and around 7-9 percent of golden eagles. In some cases – 25.8 percent of bald eagles and 4.9 percent of golden eagles – lead concentrations in the liver were high enough to hit very conservatively set thresholds above which lead poisoning is “generally determined to be the cause of death.”

https://newatlas.com/biology/american-eagles-lead-poisoning/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=980b2b9973-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_28_11_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-980b2b9973-92533145

Yeehaw.

It’d be ironic if the gun nuts killed off their own national bird. :(

Kingy said:

PermeateFree said:

A new study has found that nearly half of all bald and golden eagles in the USA suffer from chronic and/or acute lead poisoning, which the research team believes is the result of these birds scavenging the remains of animals shot with lead bullets.

The study evaluated signs of lead exposure in a total of 1,210 bald and golden eagles from 38 states across America, taking blood samples from live eagles, and examining bone, livers and feathers from dead birds.

Of 448 birds whose bone samples were analyzed using plasma mass spectrometry, 47 percent of bald eagles and 46 percent of golden eagles were found to have bone lead concentrations over the clinical thresholds for chronic lead poisoning, indicating repeated exposure to lead over a long term. Rates appeared to rise with age.

Furthermore, there was evidence of acute lead poisoning as well – suggesting a recent, short-term, high-exposure event – in nearly a third of bald eagles and around 7-9 percent of golden eagles. In some cases – 25.8 percent of bald eagles and 4.9 percent of golden eagles – lead concentrations in the liver were high enough to hit very conservatively set thresholds above which lead poisoning is “generally determined to be the cause of death.”

https://newatlas.com/biology/american-eagles-lead-poisoning/?utm_source=New+Atlas+Subscribers&utm_campaign=980b2b9973-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_02_28_11_46&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-980b2b9973-92533145

Yeehaw.

It’d be ironic if the gun nuts killed off their own national bird. :(

All this indirect damage, you wouldn’t even considered something like this as a problem perhaps until this study.

imagine if lead were responsible for decreased intelligence in Homo sapiens as well and furthermore imagine if such stupidity were able to vote

that’d be just the ticket

SCIENCE said:

imagine if lead were responsible for decreased intelligence in Homo sapiens as well and furthermore imagine if such stupidity were able to vote

that’d be just the ticket

can we assume you’re joking?

I don’t do much shooting. But I sometimes go fishing. I am have decided to change from using lead sinkers to scrap steel fasteners as sinkers. When they rust they add iron oxide to the water, which nitrogen fixing bacteria need to fix dissolved atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates which algae can use. Adding nutrients to the bottom of the food chain etc… instead of adding poisons to the food chain.

I have several containers of scrap/reusable nuts and bolts and screws, using some of them for fishing is no sacrifice.

SCIENCE said:

imagine if lead were responsible for decreased intelligence in Homo sapiens as well and furthermore imagine if such stupidity were able to vote

that’d be just the ticket

Hey, I resent that.

I used to eat lead counterbalance weights from car wheels when I was young.

Never did me any harm.

Or did it? LOL

party_pants said:

I don’t do much shooting. But I sometimes go fishing. I am have decided to change from using lead sinkers to scrap steel fasteners as sinkers. When they rust they add iron oxide to the water, which nitrogen fixing bacteria need to fix dissolved atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates which algae can use. Adding nutrients to the bottom of the food chain etc… instead of adding poisons to the food chain.

I have several containers of scrap/reusable nuts and bolts and screws, using some of them for fishing is no sacrifice.

Good thinking.

mollwollfumble said:

SCIENCE said:

imagine if lead were responsible for decreased intelligence in Homo sapiens as well and furthermore imagine if such stupidity were able to vote

that’d be just the ticket

Hey, I resent that.

I used to eat lead counterbalance weights from car wheels when I was young.

Never did me any harm.

Or did it? LOL

That.. explains everything.