Tissue Contaminant Concentrations and Environmental Characteristics from the 2022 USGS Food Resources Lifecycle Integrated Science Team National White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Assessment

White-tailed deer (WTD) liver, spleen, scat, and blood samples were analyzed for pesticides, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Samples were shipped to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) in Columbia, Missouri, where they were homogenized and portioned out to laboratories for analysis. Pesticides were analyzed at the USGS Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory (OCRL) in Sacramento, California; PFAS were analyzed at CERC; ARGs were analyzed at the USGS Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory (MIBaRL) in Lansing, Michigan. Thirteen pesticides were detected in 54 WTD samples (liver, spleen, scat, and blood) from 24 states; 26 PFAS were detected in 54 WTD (liver, spleen, scat) samples; 11 ARGs were present in 40 WTD (scat only) samples. This data release supports the publication, "A National Assessment of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), Pesticides, and Antibiotic-Resistant Genes in White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) of the United States" by Pulster and others, 2026 (In review).