Growth in the domestic consumption of bismuth was slow despite the development of several new applications designed to provide nontoxic substitutes for lead. New products include bismuth brass, pigments, ceramic glazes, fishing sinkers, shot for hunting, solders, lubricating greases, and crystal ware. In order to make a large impact on the market, lead would have to be restricted or banned for a significant use, such as plumbing fixtures. Seven large faucet makers, representing about one-half of domestic faucet sales, agreed to remove essentially all lead from plumbing fixtures in the settlement of a suit brought by California and the Natural Resources Defense Fund. Both machining and leach test results were very encouraging.
Selenium is added to lower the amount of bismuth required.
In 1994 and 1995, output from China and Korea decreased because of reduced tungsten production. World lead production has also declined in recent years, limiting the amount of bismuth that can be produced. The DLA was authorized to dispose of 136 tons in fiscal year 1996. Recent studies have shown bismuth-tin shot to be nontoxic to waterfowl. Bismuth-tin shot is an alternative to steel shot, which replaced lead shot for waterfowl hunting several years ago.