As an angler I dislike lead in anything, I don’t even buy lures that have internal lead weights in case they break (eg casted off a rock) where I am (NY state) it is illegal to sell lead sinkers in sizes of 1/2 oz or smaller, and in the freshwater fishing I do here I rarely have a need for sinkers larger than half an oz anyway, (mostly I use 1/32 to 3/16 oz) When I do use 3/4 oz I buy the bigger size of the same model of tungsten sliding sinkers
I’m not a big fan of split shot just from a fishing tactics standpoint (prefer sliding sinkers), but when I use it I use tin split shot (I’m not even sure split shot is made in sizes over 1/2 oz).
Tungsten is the ideal sinker material due to it’s density and hardness, but is extremely expensive (can be over $1 per sinker) tin is slightly less dense than lead, but is used for split shot since it is soft, and split shot has to be soft to crimp onto the line, so tungsten doesn’t work, but tin does
For anyone who wants to go lead free but doesn’t want to pay for tungsten there are steel and possibly tin options for sliding sinkers too, I pay more for the tungsten sinkers because I think tungsten is the best material from an effectiveness standpoint, since it is even denser than lead (same weight in a smaller sinker, so less likely to snag or be detected by fish) lead free fishing does not have to be expensive, tin and steel sinkers work.
I woudl support banning unnecessary lead in consumer products generally, including sinkers over 1/2 oz where it is still allowed in my state
All that said, I do want to correct one thing that I think actually overstates the risk of lead:
Anyone who touches or eats it can become seriously poisoned
Touching lead sinkers is routine among anglers, at least it was before the restrictions on small ones, I’ve toutched them myself handling discarded tackle, and this does not. normally cause poisoning, as elemental lead does not absorb through skin on contact, the risk is if you don’t wash your hands well after handling them(and I mean wash, not sanitize, lead is not a germ and cannot be disinfected) and then you touch your food, that you could get traces of lead on your food and ingest it. Done repeatedly this may raise your lead levels in an unhealthy manner (I wouldn’t do it even once)
My main concern with lead is that lost sinkers are ingested by wildlife