| ■ N. Dakota Warns About Lead in Wild Game Meat | 2008.11.11 |
| Pregnant women and children younger than 6 years old shouldn't eat meat from wild game killed with lead bullets, North Dakota health officials warned after the release Wednesday of a study that looked at lead levels in the blood of more than 700 state residents. The study, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state health department, found that people who ate wild game killed with lead bullets appeared to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or no such meat, the Associated Press reported. The study is the first to link traces of lead in wild game meat with higher levels of lead in the blood of people who eat the meat. Dr. Stephen Pickard, a CDC epidemiologist, said the study found "the more recent the consumption of wild game harvested with lead bullets, the higher the level of lead in the blood." While the elevated lead levels associated with wild game meat weren't considered dangerous, North Dakota officials decided to issue the caution because unborn babies and young children are considered most at risk from lead poisoning, which can cause learning problems, convulsions and, in severe cases, brain damage and death. |