In Canada, regulations against the use of lead (Pb) shot for waterfowl hunting were first established in the early 1990s with the creation of a few non-toxic shot zones, and culminated with a national ban in 1997. Prior to establishment of the first non-toxic shot zones in Canada, a nation-wide survey of Pb accumulation in wing bones of young-of-the-year (YY) dabbling and diving ducks determined the incidence of elevated Pb exposure in different parts of the country (Scheuhammer & Dickson, 1996). The objective of the present study was to determine the incidence of elevated Pb accumulation in the same species several years after the national ban on Pb shot; to survey waterfowl hunters to determine approximate levels of compliance with the Pb shot ban; and to use stable Pb isotope analysis to help determine the relative importance of different sources of Pb exposure. / Wing bones from 721 YY black, mallard, and ring necked ducks, and 579 YY woodcock from selected zones in Ontario, Quebec, BC, and the Maritimes, Canada were analyzed for Pb using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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