About This Project

Many species of wildlife are exposed to lead in the environment, sometimes with devastating consequences. Some impacts are highly visible and well-documented, but many lesser-known species may be heavily impacted by lead poisoning too. Active surveillance is used to minimize the harms of lead poisoning, particularly in children. We aim to develop a system of active surveillance for lead poisoning in wildlife based on wildlife rehabilitation patients and hunter-harvested waterfowl.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Since the first report of lead poisoning in ducks that had eaten spent lead shot in 1894, lead poisoning has been documented in numerous species of wildlife in almost all parts of the world. Understanding the sources of exposure in wildlife is critical to mitigating impacts on wild animals. We need to understand where and how wildlife are exposed to heavy metals before before we can achieve changes that will make a real impact. Lead exposure represents a risk both to species of conservation concern, and also a public health threat to people consuming wildlife. Environmental lead exposure is an overarching one health problem.

What is the significance of this project?

Lead poisoning surveillance in wildlife is generally a mixture of passive surveillance (testing sick animals, usually at rehabilitation facilities) and term-limited specific research projects. Only a minority of high conservation-value species (e.g. California Condors) are subject to active lead exposure surveillance.

Active surveillance for lead exposure in humans is based on identifying at-risk populations and locations and proactively testing patients regardless of clinical signs. This allows early intervention and harm minimization as well as allowing epidemiologists to build a spatial and demographic picture of the problem to better understand the risks.

What are the goals of the project?

We aim to apply this active surveillance approach to lead poisoning in Northeastern wildlife by: 1. Developing a screening protocol in collaboration with wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians to determine the best 'at-risk population' to sample actively, 2. Collect and test blood, feather and (where available), tissue samples for lead, 3. Collect and test blood and feather samples from waterfowl harvested by hunters.

Our student intern will work on a project using ArcGIS to build a database of exposure sources of lead and map the locations of animals tested for lead exposure. The purpose is to spatially map the lead exposure data we collect with current and historical point sources of lead (e.g. mines, industrial facilities).