RE: Lead Shot Ducks Example
I understand your example as it relates to studies and what not, but when it comes to tangible evidence of the effects of ingested lead pellets in watefowl... it is totally inaccurate.
Most of the studies I have read, list the mortality rate of waterfowl having ingested lead pellets at between 95 and 100%. That said, you'd think that we should go ahead and ban lead... not so at all. The key word being INGESTED. Ducks do not scoop up that many lead pellets... and that is simply because lead is extremely dense, and if you have any current or soft bottom sediment, it will be out of reach of puddle ducks in very short order.... some figures I have read have listed as short as 24 hours if you have a wind in shallow water, and one tide cycle in tidal areas.
I'm not arguing that lead ingested will kill ducks... I'm just stating that it doesn't or didn't happen near as often as people might have thought.