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Pittsburgh's history of lead in our water, paint, and soil continues to have enormous repercussions for the area's public health. Hidden Poison is a series on lead problems and solutions, reported by public media partners 90.5 WESA News, Allegheny Front, PublicSource, and Keystone Crossroads. Read more at our website: hiddenpoison.org.

Wildlife Officials Determine Bald Eagle Found In Apollo Had Lead Poisoning

Gene J. Puskar
/
AP
In this Jan. 14, 2014 file photo, a bald eagle sits on a branch overlooking the Allegheny River. A bald eagle found in Apollo recently was determined to be suffering from lead poisoning.

Pennsylvania wildlife officials say a bald eagle that is suffering from lead poisoning is in guarded condition.

The bird was letting people get close to it on a wildlife trail near Apollo over the weekend. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports it was taken to a wildlife center in Saegertown, where blood tests confirmed it had lead poisoning.

According to a wildlife education expert, the bird could have picked up lead from scavenging animals that were shot or from a fishing sinker.

The World Wildlife Fund notes that after being protected under the Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states of the U.S. has been down listed to "threatened."

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