Ecological and toxicological aspects of lead (Pb) in the environment are briefly reviewed, with emphasis on fish and wildlife, their predators, and prey. Subtopics include sources and uses, chemical properties, mode of action, background concentrations, lethal and sublethal effects, and current recommendations for the protection of sensitive living resources. Resources that are at increased risk from Pb include migratory waterfowl that congregate at heavily hunted staging areas and ingest shot, avian predators that consume hunter-wounded game, domestic livestock near smelters and Pb battery recycling paints, wildlife that forage near heavily traveled roads, aquatic life near mining activities and areas of Pb pesticide use or aerosol fallout, and crops and terrestrial invertebrates growing or living in Pb-contaminated soils. Recent legislation limiting the content ofPb in paints, reducing the Pb content in gasoline, and (by 1991-1992) eliminating the use of Pb shot will substantially reduce environmental burdens of Pb.