Lead pellets in Danish cattle

A survey was made in order to estimate the occurrence of lead pellets in the reticulum of Danish cattle and the consequential increase if any, in the lead concentration in liver and kidney tissue of the animals concerned. The investigation comprised the contents of the reticulum from 415 head of cattle, males and females, adults and calves. Furthermore, livers, and/or kidneys from 34 head of cattle, with and without lead pellets in the reticulum, were analysed for lead. A total of 1120 lead pellets were found in 230 (55%) of the cattle (Table II) the number of pellets per individual ranging from 1 to 55 with an average of 0.47 gram lead in each of the 230 animals. The weight of the lead pellets found in the reticulum was 20--40% lower than that of similar pellets from unfired cartridges. (Fig. 1, Table I), indicating a partial dissolution of the pellets during their stay in the reticulum. No correlation was established between the number of lead pellets in the reticulum and the lead content in the liver and the kidneys (Fig. 2), and no increase was found in the lead content in the organs.