For decades, wildlife health professionals around the northeast US detected patterns of lead toxicosis in bald eagles. At f irst, the origin of the lead (Pb) was unknown, but soon fragments of spent Pb-ammunition were discovered in x-rays of their stomachs. When an eagle feeds on discarded carcass parts that contain Pb ammunition fragments, the Pb is quickly dissolved by digestive juices and absorbed into the bloodstream and tissues where it acts as a neurotoxin. High doses can kill the eagle in days; lower doses can induce chronic anemia, immune deficiency and altered behavior. Over the past decades, we have accumulated records of eagles with significant levels of Pb in their tissues at the time of death. While the population of eagles continues to make an astonishing recovery, increasing instances of Pb toxicosis prompted researchers at the NYS Wildlife Health Program to question the wider impacts of Pb on the wild population.
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