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Towards sustainable outdoor shooting and fishing – ECHA proposes restrictions on lead use


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Helsinki, 3 February 2021 – At the request of the European Commission, ECHA has assessed the health and environmental risks posed by the use of lead projectiles for hunting and outdoor sports shooting as well as lead used in fishing sinkers and lures.

The Agency concluded that an EU-wide restriction would be justified. ECHA estimates that at least 127 million birds are at risk of lead poisoning each year. In addition, citizens are exposed to lead, for example, through game hunted with lead ammunition or when making lead ammunition, fishing sinkers or lures at home. Exposure to lead is especially harmful to children's neurological development. About one million children are vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead due to game meat consumption.

The proposal assesses various risk management options and identifies a preferred option to address the risks. It describes the impacts of these measures on human health and the environment as well as the overall costs to society. In simple terms, ECHA’s proposal is the following:

1. Lead sold and used in hunting, sports shooting and other outdoor shooting:

(*) ban on the sale and use of lead gunshot (with a five-year transition period). As current Olympic rules specify the use of lead ammunition for certain disciplines, ECHA also considered an optional derogation for use of lead gunshot for sports shooting only under strict conditions, i.e. when releases to the environment are minimised.
(*) ban on the use of lead in bullets and other projectiles (small calibre: five-year; large calibre: 18-month transition periods). Derogations for continued use if releases to the environment are minimised, i.e. when sports shooting ranges are equipped with bullet traps.

2. Lead sold and used in fishing:

(*) ban on the sale and use of lead sinkers and lures (with transition periods depending on weight: ≤ 50 g three years; > 50 g five years)
(*) immediate ban on the use of lead sinkers when the sinker is deliberately dropped to water (lead drop off techniques).

Military uses of lead ammunition, along with other non-civilian uses of lead ammunition such as by police, security and customs forces, are outside of the scope of the investigation. Indoor uses of lead ammunition are also excluded.

CONTINUE READING ON echa.europa.eu

                   

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