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作者：傑奇•艾倫•朱利安諾 博士
遭受這種致命鉛中毒的最新受害者是加利福尼亞兀鷹，過去由於獵殺、鉛毒、及其他人為活動，使得此種兀鷹瀕臨絕滅。1982年在洛杉磯和聖地牙哥開始的圈養計畫，成功地野放56隻，然而鉛毒又再一次地威脅牠們的生命。
去年有4隻野放的鷹因為鉛中毒而死亡。從1997年開始，已有13隻需要接受複雜的藥物治療，以去除他們體內的鉛素。據信他們是攝食了被槍殺的動物屍體，並吞下了鉛彈以及子彈碎片。自從九年前科學家開始野放，已經有超過40隻加利福尼亞兀鷹慘死野外。
鳥類正大規模地受鉛毒所影響。像在2月4日，在華盛頓州北部，有超過176隻喇叭天鵝在池塘裡被發現已經死亡或即將死去。只需要3或4個鉛彈就足以造成1隻天鵝鉛中毒。鉛是軟金屬，因此容易停留在鳥的沙囊，然後迅速滲入循環的血流中。
打獵用散彈槍的子彈含有大約280顆鉛丸。獵人每打下一隻鳥，平均會用掉5或6個子彈。其中只有少數正中目標，而剩下的，通常超過1千顆鉛彈，則掉到地上或水裡。好幾年以來，獵鴨者每年在美國各地的池塘、湖、河中留下了大約6千噸的鉛彈，直到美國「魚類及野生物管理局」宣佈禁用鉛彈獵殺水鳥。然而鉛彈仍可用來獵殺其他猛禽。
釣魚的人常在釣魚線上綁上鉛錘，讓釣鉤和魚餌可以沈到水中。這些鉛錘有很多都掉到水裡，在湖泊和水道中累積了數百噸鉛素。而每年有數百噸掉進水中的鉛錘和釣鉤。
眾多鳥類普遍死於鉛中毒的現象顯示出：在地球的生態系統裡，鉛素已經深深根植其中。像瑞秋•卡爾森就驚人地提出：影響飛禽走獸的，也一樣會影響人類。
鉛素甚至也在糖果的包裝紙中被發現，每公斤包裝紙就含有7克鉛素；而且鉛素也在和口香糖一起包裝出售的彩色球員卡中被發現。
現在，我們就必須清除鉛毒。或許軍方可以花費它幾十億中的一部份來清理他們造成的紊亂，而不是製造那些還未出廠就已經過時的武器。
至於那些試著要「綠化」自己暴力、危險的嗜好，也就是喜歡殺戮且歡慶擁有統治自然權力的人，何不將自己的興趣轉變成棒球、集郵，或是製作首飾呢？
參考資料
1. 參觀美軍環境中心：http://www.aec.army.mil/ 關於綠色子彈的完整內容：http://aec.army.mil/prod/usaec/
op/update/fall99/fall9901.htm
2. 看看加利福尼亞兀鷹復育計畫的進度：http://www.lazoo.org/
ctime.htm
3. 參觀全球鉛素網：http://www.globalleadnet.org/
4. 閱讀天鵝中毒的相關文章：http://www.swansociety.org/issues/
lead/0102lead.html
5. 看看談論鉛毒真相的網站：http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html
和 http://www.epa.gov/
ttnuatw1/hlthef/lead.html
6. 閱讀加拿大去除鉛毒的完整計畫：http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/
hww-fap/lead/leadp.html
7. 瞭解一些意料之外的鉛毒來源，包括糖果包裝紙。文章在康乃爾大學網站：http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/
toxicagents/lead/lead.html#Sources
8. 美國環境保護署所經營的國家鉛素資訊中心，你可以在以下網址得到資訊：http://www.epa.gov/lead/
nlic.htm
9. 看看使用無毒槍彈打獵的報導：http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/wlm/
game/water/nontoxicshotfinal.html
10. 找找誰是你的國會議員代表並寄電子郵件給他們。如果你知道你的郵遞區號，你可以在下列的位址找到你的國會代表：http://congress.nw.dc.us/innovate/
index.html 告訴他們該是要管制這些有毒射擊區域的時候了，並且該讓軍方全面性地思考他們綠色計畫中的這些子彈。
傑奇•艾倫•朱利安諾博士，是住在西雅圖的一位作家和教師。你可以在他思考著怎麼做他兒子第一個生日的邀請函時找到他，他從現在起會持續想11個月。邀請函上將會寫著：『請不要拿武器做為賀禮』。告訴他你的想法和計劃：
jackie@healingourworld.com；請參觀他的網站：http://www.healingourworld.com
【文章連載】
■錯失標的－綠色子彈
(上) (下)
全文與圖片詳見：http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-27g.html
版權歸屬Environment News Service(ENS)，環境資訊協會(沈怡伶
譯， 蘇崧棱，蔡麗伶 審校)
中英對照全文：http://e-info.org.tw/issue/environ/2001/
environ01100201.htm |
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By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.
The latest victim of this deadly lead poisoning is the California condor. Brought to the brink of extinction from hunting, lead poisoning, and other human activities, a captive breeding program started in 1982 in Los Angeles and San Diego which has resulted in 56 birds flying free in the wild. But lead is once again taking its toll.
Four of the birds in the wild have died in the last year from lead poisoning. Since 1997, 13 birds have required elaborate drug therapy to remove the lead from their systems. It is believed that they are feeding on carcasses of animals killed by gunfire, swallowing the lead pellets and bullet fragments. More than 40 condors have died since scientists began releasing them into the wild nine years ago.
Birds are being affected by lead on a massive scale. As of February 4, more than 176 trumpeter swans have been picked up dead or dying on the ponds they use in northern Washington state. It takes only three or four lead pellets to cause lead poisoning in a swan. Lead is a soft metal that is ground down easily in the gizzard of a bird. It then enters the blood stream quite rapidly.
Lead shotgun shells used for hunting contain about 280 lead pellets. A hunter usually fires five or six shells for every bird that is hit. Only a few of the pellets actually hit the bird. The rest, often more than 1,000 pellets, fall to the ground or into the water. For years, duck hunters left about 6,000 tons of lead shot annually in United States ponds, lakes and rivers before the US Fish and Wildlife Service banned its use in waterfowl hunting. Lead shot is still used to hunt other kinds of game birds.
People who fish often attach lead weights to their fishing lines to sink the hooks and bait. These weights are lost in vast numbers, contributing hundreds more tons of lead to lakes and waterways. Hundreds of tons of lead sinkers and jigs are lost in waters every year.
The widespread death of so many birds from lead poisoning is an indicator that lead is deeply imbedded in our planet's ecosystems. As Rachel Carson so dramatically pointed out, what affects birds and other wildlife affects us as well.
Lead is even found in candy bar wrappers in the amount of seven grams per kilogram, and it is found in colored sports trading cards packaged with gum.
We have to get the lead out, now. Maybe the military can spend some of its billions and clean up more of its messes instead of building new weapons that are obsolete before they leave the factory.
And for those who are trying to "green" a violent and dangerous hobby that kills and celebrates power over the natural world, how about taking up baseball, stamp collecting or jewelry making instead?
RESOURCES
1.Visit the U.S. Army Environmental Center at: http://www.aec.army.mil/ and see the complete story of their green bullet at:
http://aec.army.mil/
prod/usaec/op/update/fall99/fall9901.
html
2.See the timeline for the California Condor Recovery Program at:
http://www.lazoo.org/ctime.html
3.Visit the Global Lead Network at: http://www.globalleadnet.org/
4.Read about the swan poisonings at: http://www.swansociety.org/issues/
lead/0102lead.html
5. See the toxic facts about lead at: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.
html and at: http://www.epa.gov/
ttnuatw/hlthef/lead.html
6. Read about Canada's comprehensive program for eliminating lead poisoning at:
http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hww-
fap/lead/leadp.html
7. Learn about some unexpected sources of lead including candy bar wrappers from a Cornell University website at:
http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/
toxicagents/lead/lead.html#Sources
8. The EPA maintains a National Lead Information Center. Get info about it at:
http://www.epa.gov/
lead/nlic.html
9. See a report on the use of non-toxic shot for hunting at:
http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/wlm/game/
water/nontoxicshotfinal.html
10. Find out who your Congressional representatives are and e-mail them. If you know your Zip code, you can find them at:
http://www.visi.com/
juan/congress/ziptoit.html. Tell them it is time to regulate these poisonous shooting ranges and to get the military to consider all parts of the bullet in their green programs.
Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer and teacher in Seattle. He can be found thinking about how on his son's first birthday party invitations he will be making 11 months from now, there will be a statement that says "NO weapons as gifts, please." Please send your thoughts, comments, and visions to him at
jackie@healingourworld.com and visit his web site at
http://www.healingourworld.com
http://ens-news.com/ens/jun2001/2001L-06-27g.html |
