Bismarck, North Dakota News

" care: That is where you are wrong. The study does not prove elevated levels of lead from deer meat. In fact, it proves the exact opposite. There is no real difference at all in .3 percent. Statistically, the numbers were even. Take out the one guy with the levels of lead that were far higher than anyone else (which is common to do is many studies - throw out the extremes on both ends, and besides, we have no way to prove or even suggest that his high levels of lead came from venison), and the .3 percent goes away. In fact, with the one guy's results gone, the venison eating group actually would have lower lead levels than the control group. To me, that is not proof that people are getting lead in thier system from eating venison. To me, that proves the exact opposite. "

" No such thing as to much garlic in the sausage. I also like to add a bottle of Karo corn syrup to the mix. Gives it a little hint of sweet flavor. Good stuff. "

" It is really sad to see so many people making fun of this story. Sort things out scientifically in a blog. The point is, increased levels of anything are harmful. It's a warning, take note. Don't destroy the messenger. One note for those of you saying you grew up on this and are just fine. Are You? I have three children and we occasionally have deer meat. I like beef also. The point is, moderation. This goes for everything! Most things now days are not like they were 30 years ago. Even Cannabis is much more potent than it was in the 1960's. I think it's a great thing to know and I appreciate the study and can make informed decisions on what to feed my kids. To be safe, I would not give my child under 6 deer meat. I also have decided not to give childrens cough syrups after hearing a story on the today show about a 4 year whom died from the stuff. "

" I hated taking stats but it sure does come in handy. Gun Totin Fool I also second adding garlic to the sausage. You can add too much garlic but as long as your mind is saying more you are fine. If you are thinking that is enough IT IS TOO MUCH. "

" LOL Mike! Buy the "country" seasoning from Central Market, and add a big ol' jar of minced garlic to a 25-lb batch of 50/50 pork/venison. For moisture, toss in some Spicy Hot V8 juice to obtain perfect stuffing consistency. This brings out the best of the "lead" flavor in your venison sausage. For good lead-flavored steaks, use some Essie's South American Sauce and a hint of veggie oil as a marinade. Asian-style dressings really accentuate the lead flavor in chops. ENJOY! "

" Gun Totin Fool: I just shot a deer this morning with a lead bullet. What seasonings do you recommend in the sausage to really bring out the lead flavor? "

" Having seen my results and my wife's results, and knowing how much venison we eat at our house, I'm not changing a thing. We'll continue to use my hand-loaded lead bullets, process our deer carefully and diligently avoid shot up areas, and our children will continue to eat it too.

I take that back...I might change a sausage recipe just a little bit. "

" I don't think it should be fed to children or pregnant woman. However, I would think for adults it is good and much better for us than fast food. "

" Been around: You are missing one very important piece of the puzzle. We are not ignoring the hard evidence here. The study has been done. The results are in. The test show very miniscule (if any at all) risk. This is quite a bit different than the risk associated with asbestos, or pesticides. That is a HUGE difference. "

" All the people posting about 'what's the big deal with lead?' reminds me of years ago when no one thought twice about pesticides, asbestos and cigarettes. Now they say, 'if only we had known'. Perhaps someone is trying to tell you something. "

" I'm going to melt some lead and actually inject it into my deer this year but I won't feed any of it to kids. "

" Doctor Dave: You are correct. Protect the children, but focus on things that might actually make a difference. We get bombarded with safety warnings these days - don't feed your kids deer meat shot with lead bullets, don't let your kids eat fish because they might contain mercury, yadda yadda yadda. They do all the studies and the results pretty much prove that the risk is so miniscule that none barely exists, but they still continue with the warnings as if there actually was a significant risk. We are talking about .3 percent people. Eliminate the guy with the 9.8 level in his blood (or at least try to determine his other risk factors) and the results are dead even. Heck, eliminate the extreme high and the extreme low (as is commonly done in many studies) and the results might even show that the group that ate the wild game has a lower lead level. Of course, if they had done the study that way, they would have nothing to justify all the wasted research and no more panic to sell - of course they chose not to do it that way. "

" Nurse Nancy... yes, the intent of the study was to protect children. HOWEVER, the results of the study show that eliminating venison from somebody's diet is unlikely to make any difference in their blood lead levels. Protect the children? Yes. But we should concentrate on things that will actually make a difference. "

" Too many of you are missing the main intent of the study. To PROTECT the children. Each state has a lead protection program for a reason. As mentioned, the CDC considers a level of 25 to be a "level of action". Many states have lowered that level to 10 and many organizations want it lowered even more, to 5. The damage of lead poisoning in children can cause major developmental problems, even at a low level. Talk to a parent of a child that experienced it. As to why we had no problems growing up, we didn't have cheap products from China flooding our retail market that offered too many products containing lead. It's no longer the good old days of our childhood, "

" Iv bin eetin the dear meet for all me live and it aint effected me one at all. brain damege? hah! i laf at dat. i'm a gunna go n shoot me another won now.

Happy huntin two yous all! got me led bullits and off i go. "

" From the beginning of this study, it was just someone wanting to get their name in the headlines.

Good hunting this weekend, and let the lead fly.

See you in the fields. "

" My lead level was .89 and I have eaten venison and game birds almost exclusively for the past 15 years.....and before that ate the same as a child. It depends on the processing (I do my own). More scare tactics for the public. Venison is a delicious low fat protein source. Shame on those who deprive the homeless of it......just crazy! Maybe they shouldn't be eating 83% ground beef either. And your reporting is flawed! "

" The problem with this report is the media and the way it has been reported. I first heard about this on the Paul Harvey show, It was reported that ND Health Dept determined that deer shot with lead bullets was unsafe to eat and the food pantries were only accepting bow killed deer. More fuel for the anti-hunting groups, same story just tell the story as it will benefit your opinion. "

" How did our previous generations ever survive? My grandfathers, and thus my parents, ate meat they harvested while hunting with lead bullets to survive. It is amazing I am even here to read this story. I guess we all better quit hunting. On another note, I bet all of us that fish ingest way more lead from putting weights on our lines then we ever could in a lifetime of eating game shot with lead bullets. How many of us have gotten ill from fishing? This is ridiculous. "

" OK... 25 mcg/dl is the danger level. The average for lead-shot game eaters (at least the 21 G&F employees) was 1.34. Those who ate NO lead-shot game were 0.3 percent lower on average. I know my wife and I averaged 1.33, so we're right on par with the G&F employees. If others who eat NO lead-shot venison are 0.3% lower, they would come in with an average of 1.33598. This "elevated" level (at least in my non-scientist opinion) is miniscule, negligible, laughable, etc. All this says is that there IS an increase, but it's basically NIL. However, I'm sure Doctor Bill and his cronies at the Peregrine Fund will consider it to be "significant" and use it as "proof" that all lead ammo should be banned. "

" There's no mention of a control group in this study. Did they also study non-venison eaters with similar demographics? Whoever they were comparing against, the difference was an insignificant .3%. If the average (at least for G&F employees) was 1.34 micrograms/deciliter, that means the average for the general population would be 1.336. The big news here is that this study showed no significant difference and all the initial concern and media coverage was proven to be unfounded. I'm glad they did the study, however, since it shows that venison shot with lead IS safe. "

" You say nothing about the AVERAGE blood lead level of all participants in the study. So, lets use the level that was reported by the employees of the ND Game and Fish Department. Their average blood lead level was 1.34 micrograms per deciliter. Using that number and the statement by Pickard that those who ate venison taken with lead bullets was 0.3 percent higher than those who didnt, you would divide 1.34 by 1.003 to determine the average of those that did not eat venison taken with lead bullets. The number you get is 1.335 microgram per deciliter. Who are we trying to kid here? There is statistically no difference between 1.34 and 1.335. "

" Uh oh, time for the anti-science crowd to come out and tell how the study was flawed, despite the fact THEY participated in it. Pure and simple truth is that those who ate meat killed with lead had higher lead levels. It wasn't high enough to be considered in the high category for an adult, but it doesn't get around the fact it was higher. For the average adult that really isn't a problem, but please take the advice, no meat shot with lead to children under 6, AT ALL! Hence the ban at food banks, which are often used for children. "

" in the 11/5/08 press release from nd dh, no where was the 25 micrograms per deciliter in adults mentioned, so where does that come from and here did you get that? i have eaten venison killed with lead bullets for 50 years. my level was 0.069. the first 25 years of be my life, leaded gas was used in gasoline engines. your article may be manipulated for use by the anti gun, anti hunting crowd to their advantage, including the anti gun agency the CDC, i wouldn't doubt if they don't "massage the data". so far the socalists have not outlawed deer hunting in nd, but it is coming in the next few generations. tomorrow, over 100,000 hunters are going deer gun hunting, i wonder how many aren't going because of this data and information? well you could probably put all of the in a volkswagen beetle!

coffee's brewin can you smell it. "

" OMG! This gets funnier by the minute.When we were kids in the 60's and 70's,we all played with toys made with lead etc,and it didnt do us any harm.Now the food banks wont take venison thats been shot.OK,this place feeds the homeless and hungrey,dont you think they would be just grateful for getting a meal,not how the animal was shot.We eat beef and pok from slaughter houses,the conditions in those are horrible,but nobody complains about eating that! "