The effects of heat-treatment, electropolishing, alkaline etching, and anodizing on the distributions of lead in 100 μm thick, two-phase aluminium foils, containing 100, 500, 1000, and 10,000 ppm lead, have been examined by scanning electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, Heat-treatment at 823 K for 20 ks resulted in segregation of ∼3 to 15% of the lead to within approximately 500 nm of the surfaces of the foils. The enrichments, dependent upon foil composition, were largely retained in the near-surface regions during subsequent alkaline etching, but electropolishing caused depletion of lead, with respect to the bulk composition, over a depth up to about 500 nm, associated with loss of lead-rich particles. No significant enrichments were developed during subsequent anodizing of electropolished foils. In contrast, following anodizing of etched foils, lead was enriched both in the metal layers immediately adjacent to the metal/anodic film interfaces and at the surfaces of the anodic films. Further, lead oxide or hydroxide particulates associated with anodic oxidation of lead particles, decorated the foil surfaces. It is suggested that lead species are present throughout anodic film material formed above matrix regions of metal, where they migrate outward faster than Al 3+ ions to form a layer of lead-rich oxide at the film/electrolyte interface. The anodizing process resulted in loss of roughly 50% of the original enrichment of the etched foil.