Lead accumulation in woodchucks (Marmota monax) at small arms and skeet ranges

Increasing concern regarding the stewardship of US Army lands requires a proactive program to evaluate sites of potential risk. Small arms and upland skeet ranges are a potentially significant source of lead exposure for burrowing mammals. Woodchucks (Marmota monax) were evaluated for lead exposure...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2004-10, Vol.59 (2), p.232-236
Main Authors: Johnson, Mark S., Major, Michael A., Casteel, Stan W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis of Variance
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Availability
Body Burden
Bone
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Feces
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Lead
Lead - analysis
Lead - pharmacokinetics
Marmota
Marmota - metabolism
Marmota monax
Maryland
Skeet ranges
Soil Pollutants - analysis
Woodchucks
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Summary:Increasing concern regarding the stewardship of US Army lands requires a proactive program to evaluate sites of potential risk. Small arms and upland skeet ranges are a potentially significant source of lead exposure for burrowing mammals. Woodchucks (Marmota monax) were evaluated for lead exposure in a previously used upland skeet range and a small arms range, respective to animals collected at two nearby reference locations. Soil lead concentrations collected at burrow entrances on the firing ranges were compared with blood, bone, kidney, liver, and fecal concentrations of woodchucks collected from the reference areas. No statistical differences were found in the lead concentrations in tissue between woodchucks in reference and firing ranges; concentrations of lead in liver and kidney were below detection limits. Levels in bone, blood, and feces suggest the bioavailability of lead at these various sites, although other factors (e.g., differences in foraging areas, age structure, habitat preferences, and environmental conditions) were also likely to influence exposure. Blood levels were below that which suggests toxicity. Further analysis of other ranges with higher lead concentrations and of small mammal species with smaller home ranges is recommended to further elucidate trends that could be extrapolated to other sites.
ISSN:0147-6513
1090-2414
DOI:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2003.07.008