Lead and cadmium in the liver and muscles of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) in northern Finland

Twelve hares were shot in two areas in northern Finland (the Oulu University campus and the Värriötunturi fell area) for the analysis of lead and cadmium by direct current plasma atomic emisssion spectrometry. The concentration of lead in the liver in Oulu was around one mg per kilogramme (fresh weight), while at Värriötunturi it was only a half of that. Cadmium values in liver were highest at Värriötunturi, being about 0.4 mg/kg. The pattern of occurrence for cadmium in the muscle tissues was fairly similar to that in the liver, but at a slightly lower level on average, while the muscle values for lead showed great variation in Oulu (on average 1.2 mg/kg in 1981 and 0.3 mg/kg in 1982). The importance of the winter diet and preferred habitats of the animals (refuge theory) are discussed from the standpoint of heavy metal contamination.