The bald eagle, America’s symbol of national freedom, apparently doesn’t hold a candle to the gun lobby’s perceived freedom to poison this beautiful bird.
You can thank U.S. EPA. On Friday, gun-lovers won a crucial battle against conservationists and wildlife when, in a surprising move, the agency rejected a request (pdf) from environmental groups for a ban on lead in gun ammunition and tackle.
The Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy and other groups argue lead toxins are wreaking havoc on the environment and have some startling numbers to back up the claim, including:
–Up to 20 million birds and other animals are killed each year as a result of lead poisoning.
–At least 75 wild bird species, including bald eagles and endangered California condors, are poisoned by spent lead ammo.
–About 87,000 tons of lead are released into the environment each year as a result of hunting, fishing and shooting ranges. As Change.org Animals blogger Martin Matheny recently pointed out, that’s as many tons as there are in the U.S. Navy’s largest vessel.
–Humans who eat game shot down with lead ammo face serious health risks. A recent study found that up to 87 percent of cooked fowl killed by lead ammo can contain unsafe lead levels.
Some seriously nasty toxins, including arsenic, chromium, mercury, and lead, can be found in coal ash, the highly toxic leftover of burning coal for energy. But even in the wake of 2008’s catastrophic failure of a Tennessee storage pond, which released an ash-laden flood in the path of hundreds of homes, U.S. EPA is still seriously debating whether to put in stricter regulations.