Lead is thought to account for half the deaths among the common loon populations in New England and around the Great Lakes. In 1999, thousands of pintails and mallards died of lead poisoning at Catahoula Lake in Louisiana. The California condor's slide toward extinction is partly attributed to lead poisoning. Researchers examining ducks on the Mississippi River Flyway have determined that 1.4 million ducks were saved from lead-induced death as a result of the ban. Another source of lead poisoning among birds comes from fishing.
Anglers often use sinkers and jigs containing lead.
Birds ingest these fishing devices together with the small stones and grit they swallow to aid digestion, and then die of lead poisoning. In 1999 it introduced a plan to establish lead-free fishing areas in selected national wildlife refugees. More Links Learn more about childhood lead poisoning at the site of the Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning . Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited. All rights reserved.