ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the interpretation of tissue lead concentrations resulting from exposure to metallic lead, including lead shotgun pellets, bullets, bullet fragments, and fishing weights. It draws upon the research, covering the distribution of lead within the body, factors that influence tissue lead concentrations, and the effects of lead poisoning. The inhibition of erythrocyte aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity by blood lead is described in some detail later and illustrates the difficulty of interpreting the biological significance of sublethal effects, even when they can be directly related to tissue lead concentrations. Exposure and tissue lead concentrations are not always associated in individual birds because of the varying retention time of shot in the gizzard and the uptake/retention dynamics of lead in tissues. In individual birds, lead poisoning as a cause of death should be distinguished from the observation that the bird simply has been exposed to lead, based solely on tissue residues.
