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 ≥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 (rs=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.