These (might be) LEAD pellets, folks, and lead is toxic.

[garybeck]

one aspect of the story I am not hearing dicussed is that the pellets in the "bird shot" are made out of lead. From what I gather, they plan to leave most of them in, as removal of up to 200 pellets would be a huge undertaking.

If they leave more than a few in his body, remember, lead is a known toxic substance and I would imagine he would start showing significant levels of lead in his bloodstream in a short period of time. While he might be out of "present danger" lead poisoning is a serious condition and could affect him over the long term in a significant way.

side note - I had a dog who was hit by a shotgun like this once, and had about 30 pellets in her ass. The vet said to leave them there.

[FreedomAngel82]

1. Oh wow

So what happened with your dog? Could this be why he had to go back to the ICU??

[Sammy Pepys]

Not all birdshot is lead

It could've been steel or tungsten.

[NV Whino]

10. The lead issue was addressed yesterday

in another thread.

Birdshot for water birds is not lead. (Pollutes the water and ducks eat the shot that has sunk to the bottom.) Birdshot for ground birds can still be lead. (Apparently quail are smart enough not to eat the shot.)

[Sammy Pepys]

16. But not all birdshot is lead.

Even if quail are smart enough not to eat it. :eyes:

Yes, there is still lead shot available, but it's not the only choice. Who knows what kind of shot Cheney had.

[Tesha]

20. Knowing Cheney, I'd guess "Depleted Uranium shot"

> Who knows what kind of shot Cheney had.

Knowing Cheney, I'd guess "Depleted Uranium shot". Sure,
it costs $2,460/gram, but that extra quail-killing power
is really worth it in a clutch.

:nuke:

Tesha

[NV Whino]

24. True

we don't know what kind of shot it was. Be interesting to find out.

We also don't know what the Swiss Miss was doing there either. (Well Swedish, but Swiss Miss is catchier.) Be interesting to know that, too.

[ret5hd]

2. i don't think they've made shot out of lead for quite a while...

they started making it out of steel because the lead was polluting the water, etc.

not that steel shot is healthy for you.

[DS1]

3. I doubt it

I've only ever seen brass, copper, or steel

[Justitia]

4. Someone corrected me on this, said they were stainless steel.

Can't remember exactly the source for this, but it would certainly explain why they haven't done an MRI to find out EXACTLY where they are in his heart and liver.

Anyone else have an angle on this? (Not doing an MRI to find them exactly?)

[MercutioATC]

5. Most birdshot is steel now...

Lead shot was poisoning birds (they ingested pellets when they fed).

Steel shot has been used for some time, now.

[havocmom]

12. LOL Bet Cheney is always worried about poisoning birds

being such a fine, upstanding protector of the environment and all
:rofl:

Can't imagine he would give it any thought at all, just so long as something is dead at the end of the day

[MercutioATC]

13. No, but he'd have a hell of a time buying it..they don't make it any more.

[havocmom]

6. And they weren't CLEAN lead pellets either

What might have been on Whittington's clothes that pellets would then carry into his body? The man was handeling dead birds just prior to getting blasted by Cheney.

SERIOUS antibotics and a lot of luck called for in effort to avoid some nasty ass infections.

[Botany]

7. lead shot is no longer on the market .....

.... and cheney with his $18,000 shotgun wasn't using old shells.

[garybeck]

8. i read somewhere it was lead. looking for the link. ....n/t

[kenny blankenship]

9. Relax. He's 78 and the toxicity effect is the least of his worries.

[meganmonkey]

11. Yesterday CNN said lead

according to this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=416283

[Freedom_Aflaim]

14. He's 78. He really doesnt have a long term you know

There are lots of folks walking around with lead slugs in their bodies. Lead leaching is generally not a problem for them.

[Avalux]

15. Lead, steel, tungsten and bismuth:

Lead shot is still the best performer for the money, but with environmental restrictions on the use of lead, especially with waterfowl, steel, bismuth, and tungsten composites are required. Steel, being significantly less dense than lead, requires larger shot sizes, but is a good choice when cost is a consideration. Steel, however, cannot safely be used in some older shotguns without causing damage to either the bore or to the choke of the shotgun due to the hardness of steel shot. Tungsten shot is equal or even greater in density than lead, but is far more expensive. Bismuth shot falls in between steel and tungsten shot in both density and cost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shotshell

It's anybody's guess what Cheney was using.

[Tesha]

22. "Depleted Uranium" would be my guess; see my post above. (NT)

[ultraist]

17. Was Cheney using illegal ammo?

Apparently, he also didn't have the proper licenses, may have been drinking...what else do we NOT know?

[garybeck]

18. "Birdshot is usually made with steel or lead"

Pellets Likely to Stay in Man Cheney Shot
sfgate.com


<snip>


Birdshot is usually made with steel or lead, but even lead pellets left in the body wouldn't pose a danger of lead poisoning, said Dr. Renae Stafford, a trauma surgeon at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Medicine.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/02/14/national/w141430S95.DTL&type=health

[rustydog]

19. It also shows up vividly on X-Rays. you are ALWAYS

X-Rayed ASAP for gunshot injuries to detemine location of the bullet (or shot) and the extent of the damage.
the doctors waffling on the number of shot between 5 and 100 is just that waffling. you can count the shot on an X-ray very easily.

[RebelOne]

21. Most states have made lead shot illegal.

[TheWraith]

23. Maybe, but even so

I don't know whether it was lead shot or not, but even if it were, you can survive having some lead in your body. People can walk around with whole lead bullets in them, because the metal doesn't break down and leech into the body that quickly.

While it wouldn't be healthy for the man, I suspect that the health repercussions of having some lead pellets in his body would be outweighed by the repercussions of being shot in the face.