Lead Poisoning and Montana's Loons

Lead is cheap with a long tradition of use in fishing tackle. Many western societies have eliminated it in paints, gasoline, solders and in shot for waterfowl hunting. Despite this, lead products continue to be used for angling.

Although lead is toxic to all wildlife, birds hold lead objects in the gizzard rather than passing it through their system, making them particularly at risk. Lead poisoning is a leading cause of mortality in adult common loons. One recent New Hampshire study found that between 1989 and 2012 nearly half (48.6 percent) of the adult loon mortalities were from lead. In New...