Starting in 2016, the sale of bare-lead headed jigs will be banned, followed by a ban on their use in 2017. However, the sale and use of painted lead jigs will remain legal. Does the paint protect loons from direct lead exposure? See what happens when a painted lead jig is placed in a rock tumbler. The conditions in the tumbler simulate the mechanical grinding inside a loon’s gizzard.

Brand New

Day 1

Day 5

Day 7

Day 12

By day 12, the majority of the paint was eroded from the jig, making the painted lead jig no different and no less toxic from a bare headed lead jig.