A new study out of the Canadian Light Source is giving new reason to avoid using lead ammunition for large game and upland game birds.

CLS scientist Adam Leontowich has found that, when fired, this ammo leaves lead fragments that are tinier, more widely dispersed, and show up in concentrations that are exceeding levels set by human health agencies.

For example, he found fragments as small as 50 nanometres across, which is just a fraction of the width of a human hair, within meat harvested from a lead-ammo hunt.

Leontowich says lead is linked to an increased risk of several types of cancers and can also be harmful to scavenger animals who eat the remains left by field hunters.

However, there are several alternatives that he says perform just as well if not better than lead ammo, such as copper, steel, tungsten, and bismuth.