Abstract

This report evaluates lead and alternatives for this metal in hunting, shooting-sports and sport fishing. In the Netherlands the use of lead shot has been banned by the government since February 1 1993. Alternatives are bismuth, iron (steel), zinc and wolfram shot, now for sale in the Netherlands. The report includes data on physicochemical and shooting properties of the shot, world supplies, behaviour in the environment and future emissions. The effect on levels in soil (estimates of the increase in background levels), human toxicity (including tolerable daily intakes) and ecotoxicity (including maximum tolerable concentrations). Although wolfram shot is available, its future use of shot will be very limited because of the high price (compared to bismuth, iron and zinc shot) and the poor shooting properties. Therefore no further research has been done on this metal. On basis of the environmental treated aspects (risk to human beings and the environment), management of natural resources and the calculated yearly increase of the soil load in comparison with the background concentration the use of iron in shot was found highly preferable as well for shot as for hunting, shooting-sports as for sport fishing. Of the other two alternatives, the use of zinc in shot is preferable to bismuth.