Biting the Bullet: A Call for Action on Lead-Contaminated Meat in Food Banks

ABSTRACT

Even though the presence of ammunition-derived metallic lead fragments in donated firearms-hunted meat has been recognized for more than a decade, the vast majority of donated hunted meat is not inspected to discard meat containing lead fragments.1 An underlying lack of food safety standards for adulterated donated food increases risks to lowincome recipients, who are already disproportionately affected by elevated blood lead levels (BLLs).2 Primary prevention is needed for this overlooked source of lead exposure. LOW-LEVEL LEAD Primary prevention is recognized as the most effective way to address the epidemic of lead poisoning in the United States.3 The current blood lead reference level recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (mg/dL). A strong body of scientific research demonstrates that leadbased ammunition frequently contaminates hunted meat and increases BLLs of humans and animals who consume it.1,7-9 Lead-contaminated hunted meat has been identified as the most poorly acknowledged and addressed example of food lead contamination, and scientists have called for this source of lead exposure to be acknowledged and addressed with health-protective measures.8,9 A 2013 consensus statement of experts in human, environmental, and wildlife toxicology supports reducing and eventually eliminating the introduction of lead into the environment from lead-based ammunition, emphasizing that shooting lead ammunition into the environment poses significant risks of lead exposure to humans and wildlife.10 In 2016, Arnemo et al. found that more than 99% of 570 scientific articles about environmental and health consequences of lead in ammunition raised concerns about lead toxicity.7 The authors highlighted that nonlead ammunition is as effective as lead-based ammunition and is comparably priced. Despite the well-established scientific basis for regulation of lead ammunition for hunting, the topic has been politicized by misinformation campaigns portraying concerns about ingesting lead ammunition as a product of antihunting agendas.11 Lead Contamination in Donated Hunted Meat Donated hunted meat is a vital source of protein distributed by food banks at a time when food bank use remains far above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.12 Published evidence of leadcontaminated meat in food banks has existed for more than a decade (Figure A, available as a supplement to the online version of this article at https//www.ajph.org).13 Investigations in multiple states have confirmed the presence of lead in donated meat.