Lead exposure from lead pellets: age-related accumulation in mute swans

In a cross-sectional study of adult swans and their successfully fledged young in Ringkøbing Fjord, West Jutland, Denmark, 128 venous blood samples were taken during the moulting period and analyzed for lead. While the juveniles generally showed blood lead levels below 15 micrograms/100 ml (median, 11 micrograms/100 ml), the values were significantly higher in adults (median, 25 micrograms/100 ml). Adult females showed slightly higher levels than did adult males. None of the birds examined showed signs of acute lead toxicity, and increased blood levels in adults may reflect increased lead body burdens from previous ingestion of lead shot as gizzard stones.