Lead poisoning killing UK waterbirds

Scientists have revealed that lead poisoning from spent gun ammunition is a significant cause of death among the UK waterbirds.

Ten per cent of dead waterbirds collected from 1971 to 2012 died from lead poisoning, and a third of a sample of living birds were also affected. Over 2000 post-mortem examinations were conducted on individual waterbirds across 28 species across Britain over the past four decades, and up to 438 pieces of lead shot were found in the dead birds. The primary cause of death was lead poisoning in one in ten cases.

Scientists believe this shows that laws restricting the use of lead gunshot are not effective, but shooting groups have disagreed, stating that few people still use lead gunshot, but there is a 'historical legacy' of lead shot in the environment.

The study, conducted by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), is published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research.