Analysis of lead in animal feed ingredients

Analyses for lead content were done on 124 specific feed ingredients from 5 major pet food companies. The lead content of the different ingredients varied from 0.1 parts per million (ppm) to 3,600 ppm. Of the samples 48 (39%) had greater than 1 ppm lead. In particular, one type of ingredient (mineral mix) was contaminated with large amounts of this element. Feeds that contain a marked amount of lead could add an uncontrolled variable to experiments using laboratory animals and could cause misinterpretation of experimental results.