Lead and cadmium in waders from the Dutch wadden sea

Abstract

In the Dutch Wadden Sea, a major post-nuptial moulting area for waders, three wader species were investigated for lead and cadmium concentrations, using mainly feathers as the monitoring tissue. Particular attention was paid to the analytical methodology of metal determination in this type of biological material. A recently developed method to assess lead exposure in mammals was introduced for bird study. It was concluded that the waders involved showed symptoms of exposure to lead, whereas the situation with regard to cadmium seemed not to be serious.