Understanding Lead Uptake and Effects across Species Lines: A Conservation Medicine Based Approach

Abstract

Conservation medicine examines the linkages among the health of people, animals and the environment. Few issues illustrate this approach better than an examination of lead (Pb) toxicity. We briefly review the current state of knowledge on the toxicity of lead and its effects on wildlife, humans, and domestic animals. Lead is cheap and there is a long tradition of its use. But the toxic effects of Pb have also been recognized for centuries. As a result, western societies have greatly reduced many traditional uses of Pb, including many paints, gasoline and solders because of threats to the health of humans and the environment. Legislation in several countries has eliminated the use of lead shot for hunting waterfowl. Despite these advances, a great many Pb products continue to be readily available. Conservationists recognize that hunting, angling and shooting sports deposit thousands of tons of Pb into the environment each year. Because of our concerns for human health and over 100 years of focused research, we know the most about lead poisoning in people. Even today, our knowledge of the long-term sublethal effects of Pb on human health continues to grow dramatically. Our knowledge about lead poisoning in domestic animals is significantly less. For wild animals, our understanding of lead poisoning is roughly where our knowledge about humans was in the mid-1800s when Tanquerel Des Planches made his famous medical observations (Tanquerel Des Planches 1850). From an evolutionary perspective, physiological processes affected by lead are well conserved. Thus, scientists are able to use rodents and fish to understand how lead works in people. Similarly, those of us interested in safeguarding wildlife health should consider humans as excellent models for lead's chronic and sublethal effects. Given what we are learning about the many toxic effects of this heavy metal, there is every reason to switch to non-toxic alternatives. To accomplish this, a broad, cross-species ecological vision is important. All interest groups must work together to find safe alternatives, to develop new educational and policy initiatives, to eliminate most current uses of Pb, and to clean up existing problems.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Apoptosis Triggered by Sub-Chronic Lead Exposure in Mice Spleen: a Histopathological Study

“…It mimics essential minerals such as calcium and zinc, inducing chronic cardiovascular, renal, immunological and neurological diseases as well as cancer in humans and animals [1][2][3]. Pregnant women, children and city habitants are particularly at risk of Pb intoxication [4,5].…”

Mapping the spatio-temporal risk of lead exposure in apex species for more effective mitigation

“…The study was conducted in Aragón, expanding over 49 719 km 2 in NE Spain (electronic supplementary material, figure S1). The central part of the area, the Ebro valley, is mostly devoted to agriculture and intensive farming (i.e.…”

“…Among the wide variety of environmental contaminants contributing to ecosystem degradation worldwide [1], lead (Pb) is a highly toxic metal that poses major environmental and health risks for people and wildlife [2]. Although the potential effects of lead poisoning at the individual level are described for many species [3], much knowledge is still lacking on the possible effects of lead poisoning at higher ecological organization levels (e.g.…”

Duck Eggwhite Potential in Treating Subacute Lead Poisoning

“…Lead poisoning case has been frequently reported on human and animal alike [1]. Industrial manufacturing and motor vehicle exhaust turned lead into one of the largest environmental pollutions.…”