Which of the following is a source of California Condor exposure to lead that likely best explains higher blood lead levels during winter months?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To approach this question, I’ll evaluate each potential source in light of what is known about lead exposure in California condors, particularly during winter.
Option 1: Ammunition
Lead ammunition is a well-established and major source of lead exposure for condors. When condors scavenge on carcasses of animals shot with lead bullets, they may ingest lead fragments, which can elevate blood lead levels significantly, especially in winter when carrion becomes scarcer and birds rely more on available carcasses. This option aligns with the primary mechanism documented in wildlife toxicology studies of California condors.
Option 2: Imported candy
Imported candy is not a recognized source of lead exposure for condors. Ingestion of candy by wildlife is extremely unlikely to contribute meaningful lead exposure, and there is no plausible mechanism by which candy would contain lead in a way that would affect wild condor populations, making this option implausible.
Option 3: Hair straightener
Hair straighteners are consumer products that can contain metals in some contexts, but they are not a source of lead exposure for wild condors in the environment. Condors would not encounter or ingest material from a hair straightener through natural foraging behavior, so this option is not a credible exposure pathway.
Option 4: Inexpensive jewelry
Inexpensive jewelry can contain lead pigments or coatings, but wild condors are unlikely to come into contact with or ingest jewelry in their natural foraging and scavenging context. There is no reasonable pathway for condors to accumulate lead from jewelry in the wild, so this is an unlikely source.
Option 5: Paint chips and the nearby soil
Paint chips and soil containing lead (especially from legacy lead-based paints in urban or derelict areas) can be a source if condors ingest contaminated soil or preen feathers with lead-contaminated dust. While this pathway is less prominent than ingestion of lead from ammunition, it is still a plausible contributor to environmental lead exposure, particularly in certain wintering habitats where birds frequent ground-level scavenging or roost near contaminated sites.
Overall, the most defensible primary source is ammunition, with paint chips/soil providing a secondary but possible exposure route. The other options lack a credible exposure mechanism for wild condors in natural settings.

ETX 010 001 SQ 2025 Learning Assignment 19

Which of the following is a source of California Condor exposure to lead that likely best explains higher blood lead levels during winter months?

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