MAINE PUBLIC • October 31, 2025
Decades after the U.S. got rid of toxic lead in gasoline, paint and water pipes, lead core bullets are still the most common form of ammo on the market. The debris a bullet leaves behind when it's shot can taint wild game meat and poison wildlife such as bald eagles. Wildlife officials and volunteers in Maine are ramping up efforts to convince hunters to switch to nontoxic bullets. When an animal is shot with a lead bullet, the projectile shatters. Toxic slivers can sicken or kill wild scavengers looking for a meal at one of the piles of entrails hunters sometimes leave after field dressing a deer or other large game. There also has been some research that there can be health concerns for people. In recent years, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has increased outreach efforts to convince hunters to try out copper ammunition instead.