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Andrew C. Todd¹, Patrick J. Parsons,² Shida Tang,² and Erin L. Moshier¹

¹Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, New York, New York, USA; ²Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, School of Public Health, The University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA

Abstract

Our aims in this study were to determine proximal-distal variability in adult human tibia lead concentration via electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and to determine whether there were any differences between core and surface tibia lead concentrations. We analyzed duplicate core and surface tibia samples for lead at multiple proximal-distal sections on 10 adult human cadaver legs. Dried bone samples were digested in nitric acid using microwave-assisted heating, and lead content was determined by ETAAS with Zeeman background correction. Lead concentrations in nine tibiae (one tibia was excluded because some of the data were compromised) ranged from 3.1 to 27.9 µg lead/g of dry bone. Both core and surface tibia lead concentrations were lower at the proximal and distal ends of the tibia. Surface tibia lead was approximately 5 µg/g greater than core tibia lead in six tibiae with relatively low lead concentration, and 8 µg/g greater in three tibiae with relatively high lead concentration. The difference between core and surface tibia lead was independent of proximal-distal tibia location. We conclude that these nine human tibiae showed a greater surface tibia lead concentration than core tibia lead concentration. This observation has consequences for the noninvasive measurement of tibia lead via K-shell and L-shell X-ray fluorescence. Key words: atomic absorption spectrometry, bone lead, lead poisoning. Environ Health Perspect 109:1139-1143 (2001) . [Online 23 October 2001]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p1139-1143todd/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to P.J. Parsons, Lead Poisoning/Trace Elements Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, P.O. Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509 USA. Telephone: (518) 474-5475. Fax: (518) 473-7586. E-mail: patrick.parsons@wadsworth.org

We acknowledge the assistance of F. Khan (dissection) , C. Geraghty and L. Becker (ETAAS) , and S. Carroll (manuscript preparation and editing) .

This study was supported by grants ES05697 and ES06616 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Received 15 February 2001 ; accepted 25 April 2001.