Toxicants of human origin are a growing concern to conservation. Lead (Pb) is a toxicant that accumulates in the body over time. It has no biological function and can cause many negative health effects over time. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that there are no safe levels of lead in the body.

The brown bear is exposed to lead through scavenging. We will investigate the impact of lead on the health of wild brown bears and identify predictable blood changes (biomarkers) of toxicity.