UPDATED AUGUST 29, 2010:
After an outcry from Second Amendment rights groups, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Rifle Association, the Environmental Protection Agency has responded to a group of petitioners that included the Center for Biological Diversity and American Bird Conservancy by rejecting a petition seeking to ban the production and sale of lead ammunition.
According to the Examiner the rejection came because the EPA lacked jurisdiction on the matter, “In rejecting the petition, Steve Owens, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention claimed that the agency did not have jurisdiction to consider the issue under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).”
EPA Information Release Follows
EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban
Contact Information: Brendan Gilfillan [email protected]
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today denied a petition calling for a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA sent a letter to the petitioners explaining the rejection – that letter can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/sect21.html
Steve Owens, EPA assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, issued the following statement on the agency’s decision:
“EPA today denied a petition submitted by several outside groups for the agency to implement a ban on the production and distribution of lead hunting ammunition. EPA reached this decision because the agency does not have the legal authority to regulate this type of product under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – nor is the agency seeking such authority.
“This petition, which was submitted to EPA at the beginning of this month, is one of hundreds of petitions submitted to EPA by outside groups each year. This petition was filed under TSCA, which requires the agency to review and respond within 90 days.
“EPA is taking action on many fronts to address major sources of lead in our society, such as eliminating childhood exposures to lead; however, EPA was not and is not considering taking action on whether the lead content in hunting ammunition poses an undue threat to wildlife.
“As there are no similar jurisdictional issues relating to the agency’s authority over fishing sinkers, EPA – as required by law – will continue formally reviewing a second part the petition related to lead fishing sinkers.
“Those wishing to comment specifically on the fishing tackle issue can do so by visiting http://www.regulations.gov. EPA will consider comments that are submitted by September 15.â€
R286
source: Environmental Protection Agency
ORIGINAL STORY PUBLISHED AUGUST 26, 2010:
A group of petitioners that include the Center for Biological Diversity and American Bird Conservancy have filed a Petition to the Environmental Protection Agency to Ban Lead Shot, Bullets, and Fishing Under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
The EPA will be voting on the rule change on November 1, 2010 with public discussion on the matter taking place between August 3 and October 31.
According the National Shooting Sports Foundation, “If the EPA approves the petition, the result will be a total ban on all ammunition containing lead-core components, including hunting and target-shooting rounds.”
Excerpt from the petition:
Pursuant to the Toxic Substances Control Act (“TSCAâ€, 15 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq.), Petitioners Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, Association of Avian Veterinarians, Project Gutpile and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility hereby petition the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPAâ€) to revise rules governing toxic substances to ban the manufacture, processing and distribution in commerce of lead shot, bullets, and fishing sinkers. Petitioners request that the EPA
consider this rulemaking pursuant to section 6(a) of TSCA.Based on information extending back to Roman times more than 2,000 years ago, lead has long been identified as a highly toxic substance with lethal properties and numerous pathological effects on living organisms. Health effects from lead exposure can run the gamut from acute, paralytic poisoning and seizures to subtle, long-term mental impairment, miscarriage and impotence. Lead is a cumulative metabolic poison affecting a large number of biological functions including reproduction, growth, development, behavior and survival. Even low levels of exposure to lead can cause neurological damage, and there may be no safe level of lead in the body tissues of fetuses and young. Despite this knowledge, lead continues to be used in manufactured products, many of which are sources of toxic lead exposure to wildlife and to human beings.
Are the petitioners acting out of safety concerns, or is this an attempt to further disarm America’s gun owners?
Hat tip Wheedle
i guess they’re poisoning too many afgan children.
what about depleted uranium 238 ? ? ?
If they would like to take my lead bullet stockpile, I will be glad to give it to them one shot at a time.
The government never does anything out of safety concerns. Unless it is the safety of the bankers that own it. The world would be much better place it we would cut out the middleman and give the lead directly to the bankers themselves. Of course, I’ll keep my shell casings…
EVIL EVIL EVIL lead !
I say we unpaint every wall that ever had lead paint on it ( starting, of course, with the White House ), remove every wheel weight off every car in the country (hey, it will slow you down to 20 and think of the gas we’ll save as a side benefit ), defrock every X-ray tech of their vests ( and those lead WALLS…..MY GOD….THE EVILLLLLLLL), and then dig up every acre of ground in the country to make SURE it’s cleaned of that evil lead.
Only then will the world be safe for the children.
Only a Liberal would think of this. Do you think LEO & military will change over this year? And they use a bald eagle….Â
As if they havent got bigger fish to fry..this is a joke ..right?
yeah im leaning toward just another ammo grab..
I kinda like the possibility of an intuder getting lead poisoning..if the innitial rounds dont stop him..
I really think we have larger contamination issues at hand here..can anyone say BP and The Gulf?
and the other larger contaminator players…as if a few guys out shooting target clays are contaminating this world with lead shot..gimme a break.
At least when you go shoot skeet or other game its down to a few pellets..not Billions of gallons of toxic waste that they go and add more toxic waste to to hide it..EPA..y ou got anything better to do? guess not..
add lead to your preciuos meatls list along with your gold and silver..we may need it to keep these blind regulators from snaking in the back door of our second amendment
also isnt it funny how this substance has been known of its qualities and its effects on humans since the time of romans..yet nothing was done about it until now?…
watch us not get a vote on this too, like somany other laws passed with out the consent of the VOTERS!
I’m sure the governments ” Do what I say, not what I do ” policy will exempt them of any consequences if the proposal becomes law. You know the government is not going to outlaw their stockpiles of lead core ammunition, just yours. And why not impose a deadline for turning in your ammo by a certain date or face felony charges ? Once again our own government draws lines in the sand to challenge your Constitutional Right to Bear Arms.
A popular T-shirt during the Clinton anti-gun era was, ” When they come for your guns, be sure to give them the ammo first. “. If one tenth of one percent of the American population chose to defend themselves from legislation that would disarm them, I believe the Founding Fathers would approve.Criminals in Washington DC are deliberately trying to destroy this country and its Constitution.
                        Criminals Prefer Unarmed Victims
And they say Pb does not have any magnetic properties. It always attracts to what I point at. I can’t do a drive by without going in & purchasing more every pay day. Oh look, my finger has an itch to feel the creep in my trigger. And they will try to pass it while the majority hold their seats before election. I can just see the EPA making you sign more paper work before buying your next battery for your car. Does this go into effect in California first? Do this or the Feds will with hold money to the states……
i’ll tell ya what’s really toxic in my environment.                        Â
wall street bankers.                                                                                Â
they’ve put three of my neighbors out of work. removed four children from college. foreclosed on two homes. claimed six cars for overdue payments. made many of us unable to afford health insurance or auto insurance. turned some nearby homes into apartments and last, but not least, scared the hell out of all citizens with more than two synapses.
Yah your papers please…..
If passed,this would ban the “manufacture,processing and distribution”,not the possession of lead ammo….yet.
If the feds think that I would just hand over 8,000 rds of lead ammo to be destroyed,they have been inhaling glue.
People have lived with lead for thousands of years, and unless you’re eating it, inhaling lead dust or rolling in it, you’re fine. . . Hell, there are countless men who have lived/are living with lead bullets still in their bodies because it was safer to leave it in than to take it out. . . This is just a grab at our ammo because they know that a direct assault on the second amendment will get them absolutely nowhere. . . Notice how it’s being done just before the midterms, so they can avoid the possibility of a repub congress overturning their actions or reducing their power. . .
The big problem is you will not be able to use the ammo at any range. Guess what, the new stuff will be taxed and cost even more.
If you have no ammo you are effectively disarmed. Its a back door attempt to circumvent the Constitution.
This is no joke! It is an end run at the 2nd Ammendment. They can’t eliminate your right to bear arms so they will eliminate your ability to buy bullets.
In 1911 a book was written that has been used as the guidelines to undermine and take over the US. They set up administrative offices that are appointed. (Think about all those Czars) and these appointed people make policies ( not laws but binding like laws) and Congress can not stop them because they do not go though Congress and they are not answerable to Congress. This is the liberals’ strike at the 2nd Ammendment. This is a direct result of bigger federal government. This is a shaddow government that is making policies that restrict citizens and it is all done by appointed, not elected officials who answer to no citizen.Â
Shrink the federal government. End all Czars and REQUIRE all congressmen to sign an affidavit that says they READ every document they vote on and their failure to read before voteing gives the citizens they represent to immediately remove them from office.
There should be a referendum to abolish the EPA. And we need to start it and demand it from our so called leaders and if they don’t, they will join the 10% unemployed.  Â
This is yet another attempt to circumvent the 2nd amendment. Not a legislated attempt by Congress or the Senate but by an appointed agency, the EPA. Congress and the Senate don’t have the balls to do this but they want it. It’s all part of the grand plan. They think they are so clever, going after the ammo and not the guns and having a lowly agency make policy and they just shrug their shoulders and say OK. The last time I heard there were 3 branches of government. What the fuck is this, we have 4 now?
Guns won the freedom in this country.
Guns kept freedom in this country.
Without guns, kiss your freedom GOOD-BYE. Â Â Â Â
Guns threaten dictatorial policy and keep it in check.
 Government leaders are hesitant to pass unpopular policy because of the gun threat. They won’t say it but its there.
The leaders are getting very comfortable now passing unpopular policy sliding it in sideways, look at last 2 major bills they have passed lately. Health care and financial reform. There is shit buried in those monster bills we won’t know about for years. And they both democrat and republican are ok with them because they can imagine an end game without weapons and they don’t get their hands dirty. We really need to scrutinize political challengers and vet the living shit out of them long before they get elected to office. Â
If they are allowed to keep chipping away at out freedoms pretty soon we won’t have any.
There are those “in our government†that would be ecstatic if they could just dump our Constitution and the Bill of rights. The Constitution and the Bill of rights are / were in the beginning for us the people of America. Not the government but us and the government wants to take them away for free rein, not to mention factions of the UN.   Is that really what YOU would want?
We have had the preverbal shot across the bow and now we are about to get broadsided. Â Â
Wake up people……..
Â
Â
S-510 will be voted on by Congress when they return from summer break and will eliminate your ability to grow a garden, share, exchange or give away food, store food, own seeds.
Add that to this EPA ban on bullets so you can’t hunt.
The feds have claimed control over all US waters ( which was previously under the control of each state) and are trying to ban fishing.
NAIS is not law yet but it would make it extreemly expensive to own or raise food animals and involve a lot of paperwork.
So no fishing, no hunting, no growing, storeing, shareing food, no owning seeds, no owing food animals. Is it just me or does anyone else see a pattern here !!!
Oh, and that federal control of waters includes rainbarrels and cisterns so you can’t store or hold water either if they say no and they have been discussing that too.
Yikes what is next? Soylent Green?
What the hell would they replace the lead in lead core bullets with anyway?
Most folks that I know are already so stocked up on ammo that their wives are already threatening them with divorce if they buy anymore ammo. “Honest honey!, it was on sale and I couldn’t just pass it by!!!.”
The assclowns in the District of Criminals can’t be so stupid that they honestly believe that anyone will turn in their ammo. The ‘rednecks’ that I run with would probably give it to them by shooting it at them!
Ya just gotta love them politicians! I would really like to get my hands on some of whatever it is that they are smoking ……. it’s way better than what’s available around here. You don’t suppose that they are getting it off their homies over there at the DEA, do you?
I think that we need another war that we can’t possably expect to win in order to get our feeble minds of this kind of crap.
Dangers are present in our world so if you worship GOD you know your going to die someday or even possibly have some kind of health problems. GOD will see you through it. If you worship the great doctor god everything is scary. That’s all good home turned brass bullets shoot straighter.
C said, “S-510 will be voted on by Congress when they return from summer break and will eliminate your ability to grow a garden, share, exchange or give away food, store food, own seeds.
Add that to this EPA ban on bullets so you can’t hunt.”
You know, if “they” try to stop people from having a garden or storing food and owning non-GMO seeds, then they’re going to get an awful lot of lead delivered to them via airmail.
@ C    A class 3 license to reload or purchase supplies, if available.
charlie’s ak47’s often had copper jacketed steel bullets and steel cartridges cases. both were magnetic. not to worry. if charlie did it we can too.
Yikes what is next? Soylent Green?Â
                             Fahrenheit 451 maybe.  Â
I haven’t started reloading yet, but I know casting bullets isn’t extremely difficult. My grandfather used to work at a foundry in Alabama, Southern Aluminum if I remember correctly. Over the years he acquired a fairly large stack of 1 lb. lead ingots. I would estimate the pile to be about 500 bars or so. He’s got the reloading setup, but he simply doesn’t mess with the stuff anymore. Maybe I can coax the old pack rat out of 20 or 30 of them one of these days….soon hopefully.
Man, I was all happy about making extra money this week thinking I was going to get extra silver rounds with it. Â Maybe now I’ll just drive down to Cabela’s with the cash and stock up on the sale ammo……….
That’s my name and that’s what the politicians can do!
They’re grasping! They desperately want to disarm us and they are grasping for anything they can to make things more difficult. They don’t seem to understand that the tighter they squeeze the less productive the economy will be.
Damn! I hope they pass it. If they do, if the democrats do pass it, they will suffer for it. They are already going to take a big hit in November. If they passed something like this, well, lets just say, facing down the lead would be easier. It will kill anything that leans left for decades. …and it will hasten the massive crash we’re looking at.
Well,I guess that means that we’ll have to settle for solid tungsten core bullets with a copper jacket to keep fom eating up the bores.
Say,won’t that stuff sail right thru body armor?
Yo Jonny V –
Do not despair dude; the day that we start using ‘trash’ silver and gold bullion coins to transact business in barter in the ‘BLACK’ or underground economy ….. that will be the day that your ammunition will also be of use to transact business. I know lots of folks who have lots of firearms, but not many people other than “preppers” have much more than a box or two in between times that they are going out to zero a particular weapon, go out target shooting or head out hunting.
When TSHTF, your extra ammo ought to be ‘good-as-gold’.
Government is trying to prepare for what lies ahead. They want to be able to easily control us when the shtf.
Comments….. What’s next ban lead fishing sinkers? Lead weights on tires? They are out of control!
Remember the scene in Patriot with Mel Gibson melting his young son’s toy solders to cast as loads?  How big of a load can a penny make? How about two pennies? Go ahead and make it illegal. They can’t control shit. Bunch of ignorant, pussy politicians. Lead melts at 600 deg., copper at 1359 deg.  More heat boys!  Still a great reason to buy more.  All excellent comments.  Jonny V – You can get some silver next week. No sweat. MadMarkie is 100% correct.
lead sinkers have been under attack before
they are illegal in many places
http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/documents/leadpoisoning2.pdf
No worries. Screw Washington D.C.  When U.S. Treasury bonds and the U.S. dollar collapse Obama and his ass clown appointees will have no further say in the running of this country. Time is running out for the federal tyranny over the sovereign states. Let Obama’s pretty boys and girls make whatever laws they like, they won’t be able to enforce them. They can’t enforce the laws now. Just ask any muslim terrorist, Mexican alien, or Wall Street banker. They will all say the same the thing. “The U.S. government is a joke, we’re not worried, we’ll do as we please”.    And the rest of us should do the same.  Obama can kiss my ass.        Â
It’s the 2nd amendment they want to get rid of…not the bullets!!!
Well, I hear that silver bullets are more effective on polit… er I mean bloodsuckers, anyway.
I wonder if anyone has ever tried to challenge the Constitutionality of “rule making agencies” like the EPA in the Supreme Court?
It’s regulation without Representation!!!!
Those of you who wonder what non-lead ammo costs ? We have a “no-lead” indoor range at the department. All .40, 12 gauge, 9mm, 5.56, 38 spl, etc, has to be frangible ammo so it can be picked up with a dusy broom after shooting. The idea was that specially suited EPA types would not have to come in for a massive clean -up every month, and the special fans, and filter would not be needed to control lead dust….the result is that the 12 gauge frangible slugs for training are $6-$7 a shot. And .40 cal runs $2 a round……It costs the department $36 for me to empty a single Glock magazine…..
I’m paying one FRN/.44mag bullet and that is cheap! Kind of like saving junk silver years ago, freon, silver @ $6-8, 1/10 oz gold coins at $60-75, and food currently. Don’t forget the Wright Brand bacon. It’s like meat candy!
@Bill & MadMarkie: Right on. I’ve been saying for a while, now, that “The new precious metal is lead.”
Everthing is OK. Get a job then go out and buy more bullets! Do not think. http://silverbearcafe.com/private/08.10/everthingisok.html
any type of “heavy metal” such as copper or iron can be used in a sabot bullet. so what’s all the excitement.
by the way. THIS CRAP IS YOUR FAULT. YOU VOTED FOR THE POLITICIANS PUT FORTH BY THE DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN PARTIES. SO WHEN THE CURRENCY COLLAPSE AND THE COUNTRY IS DESTROYED AND THEY STOP YOU FROM OWNING LEAD ALLOY BULLETS -THEN LOOK IN THE MIRROR AT THE MORON THAT CAUSED THIS CRAP…………….
STOP WHING AND TAKE YOUR MEDICINE……..
THIRD PARTY NOW…………..
x2 on the Wright bacon!!!
@Goldenfoxx
This rule does include lead sinkers and fishing weights. Also lead tire weights already become illegal in 2012 I believe.
Here’s a story for you. Let’s say your loved one is out hunting with friends and is accidently shot in the foot. There’s no way to remove all of the tiny lead pellets. After two years, his lead levels remain dangerously high and sometimes rise. The lead will likely kill him eventually.   The only cure is to amputate his foot but the lead is already in his body. Someone shot in the stomach wouldn’t even have that option.
Is lead so important ? Who wants to take away anyone’s rights? Maybe they are trying to protect hunters, policemen, and anyone else who uses a weapon so the same thing doesn’t happen to someone else’s brother.
This has been coming for a long while. It is surprising only that it has taken this long. The ammo industry already has had alternatives for years that are actually better performing, according to experts, which I am not. The Vinyl industry… said they couldn’t live with the residual monomer limits enforced back in 1970’s (they did); we couldn’t do without lead as a preservative in paint or vinyl either (it is now virtually gone and we survived). I am an expert in those areas and I had my doubts too, but we wound up making better, safer products instead of doing what we had always done for so many years.
For all you reloaders out there, ice bullets and blue helmets make a nice combo. Ice bullets leave no ballistics to trace. Just saying …….
“From my cold, dead hands!”
@ Tom; Â is Wright brand better than Fletchers? Â We don’t seem to have Wright here. Â There is a local butcher with dry cured bacon. Â That stuff is REEEEEEAAAAAAAL GOOD, but costs a WHOOOLE LOT……..
Looks like the petition was dropped…….
Not a big deal really. This is not about taking your ammo. Its about substituting copper for lead, because the BIG Copper miners and manufacturers in the US will not be selling copper to anyone for wire in the housing industry for years to come.
Not a bad idea really.
I saw a round that they aren’t going to like either. It was a steel projectile with 3 Teflon rings on it. It was sub caliber to accommodate the thickness of the Teflon rings, but baby this sucker was fast and I mean you could easily tell the difference.  Oh; and by the way, the Teflon peels off in flight and so goes the trace ballistics.
 So let’s recap. A high speed steel bullet, with no ballistics. Interesting, I wonder just how bad they want that ban?
On another topic of stupidity.
 Here in California they almost immediately banned all 50 cal BMG ammo. What they did “in their infinite Sacramento wisdom was to ban the cartridges case. Claiming it holds to much powder. 50 cal owners just cut down the rim of the case 100 thousands and pushed the projectile down further into the case.  Aren’t they brilliant? In think Henry Waxman was one of the knotheads behind this stroke of genius.
Â
If any of those gubmint bastards or bird huggers takes any of MY lead, poisoning will be the least of their worries. Et tu?
JV: Go to wrightbrand and listen to bacon radio. Yes, I’ve had both. You will need therapy afterwards. Vincent Vega: Yeah but bacon tastes gooood!
Per a US News report and EPA press release, the EPA listened to the NRA, NSSF and the American People (Thankfully) and ruled that they don’t have the authority to grant the petition when it comes to lead shot and bullets.
The link to the article is posted on the Drudge Report.
But lest we forget, they tried it once and they will again.
@ Tom – Thanks for the heads up on Wright bacon. The wife and I went to Meijers last evening and today for lunch had some yum BLT’s with tomatoes and lettuce from the garden. Very, very tasty….. While I was there I picked up another 500 rounds of 22 lead.
Glad to hear they tossed it out. But, as FUIT states above, they will come back to this.
Telling Americans that they must turn in all of their stashed ammo would be as effective as trying to ban masturbation.
@ Sharon
It doesn’t work that way. In fact, exposure to metallic lead, unless in dust form is harmless. People do not understand that the “exposure to lead” is not about exposure to things made out of lead, such as lead bullets, etc. Its lead oxide, mostly, and other lead compounds that give you problems. Getting shot with a shotgun will not increase your lead levels. Besides, high lead levels causing problems are a myth and always have been. Multiple studies about health maladies related to lead in lead mining towns have proven this over and over. Get a clue here. The whole idea of banning lead to save the planet is much like the global warming hoax: Its a political tool to create fear for the purpose of passing legislation. One, which apparently, works well on you.
this isnt over folks..
maybe we need to start making silver bullets..i hear they work real well on these blood suckers..
or even better, how about some tefflon coated steel bullets…theres more than one way to get rid of traitors
with no ballistics, and if they are standing in a row you could get more than one with each shot
charpy said, “we couldn’t do without lead as a preservative in paint or vinyl either (it is now virtually gone and we survived)…but we wound up making better, safer products instead of doing what we had always done for so many years. ”
That’s Not true. Have you taken a drive down a street on a dark night lately? The new lead-free paint for the lines on the road do not stick around making driving more dangerous and even fatal for those who couldn’t see the lines. The attempts to use reflectors fails as a replacement as well because it often creates a blinding and confusing array that leads to accidents happening. Not too mention the reflectors get torn off by snow plows or easily buried by mud and snow in a way the old lead paint lines would not.
It also seems that in many areas the States cannot afford to paint the lines at all, is it due to lead-free paint of this type being more expensive or needing to be reapplied more frequently, or both? How many fatalities are due to the ban on lead free paint is something we’ll probably never know.
And Sharon’s story of, “Let’s say your loved one is out hunting with friends and is accidentally shot in the foot.” is the exact reasoning they would use to ban guns altogether if that reasoning were followed. And just never mind that by forcing people to use steel while hunting the high cost of steel vs. lead causes some people to not be able to afford to go hunting in the first place. For many people, by outlawing lead the result is outlawing hunting.
The same could be said of lead fishing weights for some people who don’t have much money to spare, and those are the kinds of people, “everyone” wants to make sure they stay on welfare collecting food stamps instead of supplementing their food source from their own efforts or earning enough supplemental income from selling the fish they catch to get off welfare.
When they ban lead in fishing weights how will they enforce it? Will they demand seals and tags be placed on lead-free fishing weights indicating that’s what they are? Will the DNR be supplied with lead testing kits to use when they root through a person’s tackle box on a whim just because the person is fishing, or will every fisherman have to go to court to prove his innocence? Innocent until proven guilty, that’s the new law of the land?
There’s all kinds of unintended consequences being opened up here. For now i suspect the law is just targeting those who own lead fishing weight molds and make money from selling them. Don’t those lead weight sellers know they should be on welfare instead of trying to earn a living producing a useful product that occurs naturally?
Of course now the goberment lovers will attempt to give this authority to the EPA – it’s bankster methodology in action – if at first you don’t succeed, whip up the fear, grease a palm and try again a different way.
And Don’t, whatever you do, look at the uses and effects from depleted uranium or fluoride in the water. Bizarro World, page three?
Maybe soon the idea of nullification will get a bit more airtime as a peaceful solution?
Got my ammo just in time to beat the EPA dropping the whole deal. Â Oh well, at least the wife doesn’t know how many rounds I actually have. Â Can always make up with a double buy of silver this week.
Maybe the EPA should get off their asses and do something about the bedbugs crawling all over the east coast and midwest. Â Oh yeah, that sounds like hard work. Â Never mind.
Regarding Sharon’s: “Let’s say your loved one is out hunting….is accidently shot in the foot. There’s no way to remove all of the tiny lead pellets. After two years, his lead levels remain dangerously high and sometimes rise. The lead will likely kill him eventually.   The only cure is to amputate his foot but the lead is already in his body.”
I won’t try and invalidate your point because it probably contains some truth to it. Just thought I’d share: My dad got shot with bird shot in both legs about 25 – 30 years ago. He told me that for him, the bb’s would occasionally come to the surface of his skin and he actually pop them out. I’d have to ask him specifics to remind me. Nonetheless, he’s still walking and talking today, not to say that he doesn’t have lead in his blood, because he likely does. I think I can remember reading about the body depositing fats on some foreign objects such as lead.