Reconstruction of a decline of ambient lead levels in the Ruhr area (Germany) by studying lead concentrations in antlers of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).
We determined lead concentrations in antlers (n = 132) of roe bucks > or = 2 years of age, killed between 1951 and 1999 in the northern Ruhr area, Germany. The lead content of the antlers ranged between 0.6 and 19.0 mg/kg dry weight of bone, and overall markedly declined over the study period. As a consequence, mean lead levels in younger samples were always significantly (P<0.001) lower than those in older ones (for the periods: 1951-1969, 1970-1979, 1980-1989 and 1990-1999). Annual mean antler lead concentrations were positively correlated (r(s) = 0.74, P<0.001) with annual mean lead concentrations in airborne particulate matter of the Rhine-Ruhr area during the period 1974-1999. The findings of the present study underscore that roe deer antlers are well suited for a monitoring of temporal trends in environmental lead levels in a cost-effective way.
Kierdorf
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Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Germany. kierdorf@rz.uni-hildesheim.de
Kierdorf
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D000818:Animals; D000999:Antlers / Q000737:chemistry; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry; D003670:Deer; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005858:Germany; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D007854:Lead