Preliminary findings show people who eat venison harvested with lead bullets appear to have higher levels of lead in their blood than people who don't, although officials say there is nothing conclusive.

The study, initiated in May and June with 738 North Dakota residents, was released Wednesday.

The issue became a story about a year ago when a Bismarck doctor and hunter X-rayed ground venison packages collected from food pantries in the state.

Dr. Stephen Pickard, epidemiologist at the State Health Department, said the study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicated that people who eat a lot of venison harvested with lead "… tended to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or none."

Lead levels from those in the study ranged from none to 9.82 micrograms per deciliter.

Levels of 25 micrograms per deciliter in adults and 10 in children are considered elevated.

Pickard said the 9.82 level was in an adult, but said with all participants in the study there was no definitive way to determine if other factors could have contributed to lead being found in the bloodstream.

"No single study can claim to be the final answer," he said.

Pickard said what the study was designed to do was to help state agencies establish guidelines for consuming wild game harvested with lead bullets.

In young children, exposure to lead can result in lower IQs, learning disabilities, stunted growth and attention disorders like ADD and ADHD. In pregnant women, it can lead to low birth weights, premature births, miscarriage and stillbirth.

In adults, exposure to lead can cause high blood pressure, hearing loss, diminished kidney function and infertility.

Pickard said there are a number of factors that could lead to lead being found in the blood including hobbies or occupations where lead is present.

Unlike some other heavy metals, such as copper, there is no function in the human body for lead. "There is no acceptable level in children under the age of 6," he said.

Terry Steinwand, director of the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said 21 Game and Fish employees volunteered to participate in the study. He said they also voluntarily offered to share their results.

Steinwand said the average lead content in the 21 employees' samples was 1.34 micrograms per deciliter.

Statistically, Pickard said the level for those who ate venison taken with lead bullets was 0.3 percent higher than those who didn't.

Steinwand said any information that helps hunters make more informed decisions is good information. "You can either eliminate or minimize risks," he said.

The only way to eliminate the risk of lead fragments in venison is to use non-lead ammunition such as copper bullets, which cost about twice as much as lead bullets.

Pickard said the best way to minimize consuming lead in venison is to follow recommendations for processing meat that can be found on the health department's Web site, www.ndhealth.gov, then clicking on the link to lead in venison under the current issues tab.

As far as food pantries, Pickard said it's recommended they accept only whole cuts of deer shot with lead bullets rather than ground venison, or accept venison harvested with bows.

Pickard said no follow-up studies are planned.

(Reach reporter Brian Gehring at 250-8254 or brian.gehring@bismarcktribune.com.)