BISMARCK, N.D. – A government study says people who eat wild game shot with lead bullets tend to have higher lead levels in their blood.

The preliminary study was released Wednesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Dakota Health Department.

A state epidemiologist says the study found that the more recent the consumption, the higher the lead levels.

Health officials and the CDC collected blood samples this spring from more than 700 people in North Dakota. Most were adults who ate venison from deer killed with high-velocity ammunition.

State officials are recommending that pregnant women and children younger than 6 avoid meat from deer killed with lead bullets.