Toxicokinetics and Sources of Lead in American Woodcock (Scolopax minor)

This dissertation is composed of multipled studies related to the bioaccessibility and availability of Pb shot to American woodcock (Scolopax minor). Each chapter (I – V) consists of an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, and tables and fitures section. Chapters I and II have been published in peer review journals, while Chapters III-V are formatted as manuscripts that will be sumitted for publication. Chapter I is a published literature review that contains information on current studies on Pb in American woodcock in addition to the effects, abosroption and sources of Pb in previous American woodcock studies. Chapter II is a published methods manuscript that discusses the method development for a small mass acid digestion technique. Chapter III discusses the bioaccessibility of Pb and Sb from Pb shot and the feasibility of using Sb as a trace-metal marker of Pb shot exposure. Chapter IV presents exposure levels and sources of Pb in woodcock as determined by the analysis of lead, antimony, and lead isotope ratios in feathers and bones. Chapter V is a geospatial analysis of the Pb concentrations found in woodcock feathers and bones. Conclusions and regulatory implications from all previous chapters (I-V) are presented in Chapter VI.