Following the lead-in-venison hysteria from a couple years ago, North Dakota kicked off an effort to re-educate wild game processors to reduce the amount of lead residue in processed venison. Last year, the ND Department of Health tested about 40o samples of meat from 54 processors in the state, to see how effective the new guidelines were.
From the results posted in the following press release, the education has been working pretty well. Check it out.
NORTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
NEWS RELEASEFor Immediate Release:
Sept. 17, 2009For More Information, Contact:
Sandi Washek
North Dakota Department of Health
Phone: 701.328.5188Dr. Andrea Grondahl
North Dakota Department of Agriculture
Phone: 701.328.4762Results of Venison Processing Study Released
BISMARCK, N.D. – The North Dakota departments of Health and Agriculture today released the results of a study designed to determine if processing guidance had any impact on the amount of lead found in ground venison. The study found that 5.94 percent of ground venison samples collected from meat processors contained lead fragments.
In August 2008, the North Dakota departments of Health, Agriculture, and Game and Fish developed guidance for hunters and processors regarding the cleaning and dressing of wild game to reduce the chances of lead bullet fragments in the meat. In addition, the Department of Agriculture sent all North Dakota meat processors specific guidance developed for commercial processors.
From November 2008 through February 2009, Department of Agriculture field inspectors collected a total of 404 ground venison samples from 54 meat processing plants across the state. Of the 404 samples, X-rays showed foreign material in 49 samples. Those 49 samples, along with two additional blank samples, were sent to a laboratory in Iowa to be analyzed for the presence of lead.
Of the 51 samples analyzed, 24 showed measurable amounts of lead. In other words, 5.94 percent of the 404 collected samples contained lead fragments.
In March 2008, the recommendation to remove all donated ground venison destined for distribution to food pantries was based on a small but valid investigation that identified lead particles in more than 50 percent of packages. However, those results cannot be directly compared to the current study because of different sampling methods and sampling size of the product collected.
Because the study shows that the potential for lead fragments in wild game is still there, the North Dakota Department of Health continues to advise that pregnant women and children younger than 6 should not eat any venison harvest with lead bullets. In addition, the department recommends that older children and other adults should take steps to minimize the possibility of exposure to lead and should use their judgment about consuming game that was shot with lead-based ammunition.
A summary of the study is available at www.ndhealth.gov/lead/venison or by calling 701.328.5188. For more information about the study, the media may call Sandi Washek, North Dakota Department of Health, at 701.328.5188 or Dr. Andrea Grondahl, North Dakota Department of Agriculture, at 701.328.4762.
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I know, I know… there’s still no evidence that lead bullet fragments are a valid human health risk, but there’s not any solid evidence that they’re not either… especially when it comes to developing youngsters. In light of that, I can’t fault the ND Dept of Health for their recommendations. It’s certainly not the over-reaction everyone had when the Cornatzer fiasco first unwound.
Other than that, I think it’s cool that the new processing guidelines are working as well as they are. It looks like venison will still be available in the food pantries to feed the needy. And folks who are personally concerned about lead in their venison have an effective guideline for safely butchering their game meat. Common sense prevails?
