Tiny Bullet Fragments in Hunted Meat Pose Lead Poisoning Risk

Synchrotron X-rays show particles far tinier than previously shown and in concentrations exceeding levels set by human health agencies.

Published: December 1, 2025

Read time: 2 minutes

This fall, when Adam Leontowich headed to southeast Saskatchewan to hunt whitetailed deer and ruffed grouse, he once again opted for lead-free ammunition – cartridges with copper bullets for his .308 rifle and shells with steel pellets for his 12-gauge shotgun. It’s the fourth hunting season that he’s done so.

While Canada implemented a full ban on the use of lead shot for hunting migratory birds like ducks and geese in 1999, many hunters – particularly those after large game and upland game birds – continue to use ammunition that contains lead, which is toxic to humans and linked to an increased risk of several types of cancer.

New research published by Leontowich, a staff scientist at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan, shows that fragments of lead left behind in hunted meat are far tinier than previously shown and – more alarmingly – present in concentrations exceeding levels set by human health agencies.

Leontowich and colleagues compared images generated with standard X-ray equipment – such as that used in hospitals – to images generated with synchrotron X-rays, which are thousands of times brighter, and electrons. Some agencies in the US – including food banks in at least one state (Minnesota) – use medical X-ray equipment to screen for lead in hunted meat that’s been donated.

More:
https://www.technologynetworks.com/analysis/news/tiny-bullet-fragments-in-hunted-meat-pose-lead-poisoning-risk-407538