Air Quality Criteria for Lead Volume II of II - (NEPIS)(EPA) - US ...

AX4-7
Table AX4-3. Bone Lead Measurements in Cadavers
Reference, Study
Location, and Period Study Description Lead Measurement Findings, Interpretation
United States
Wittmers et al. (1988)
Minnesota
1976-82
Saltzman et al. (1990)
Cincinnati, OH
1970-71
Canada
Samuels et al. (1989)
Canada
1965-69
Lead in tibia, skull, iliac crest, rib,
and vertebrae. 81 Caucasian males
and 53 male cadavers ranging in age
from 0 to 98 yr. Ashing, nitric acid,
AAS.
29 tissues from 55 cadavers, mean
age 50 yrs. Muffle furnace ashing.
Pb concentrations by dithazone
method.
Ashed vertebral bones from male
and female cadavers from three
Canadian cities. AAS method.
Mean and SEM (µg/g bone ash) >75 yr: Tibia 29.0 ±3.4 (n = 28), ilium
17.0 ± 2.6 (n = 29), rib 20.5 ± 2.4 (n = 31), vertebra 18.8 ± 2.6 (n = 30),
skull 26.1 ± 3.2 (n = 28)
51-75 yr: Tibia 24.2 ± 2.3 (n = 38), ilium 19.2 ± 2.4 (n = 15), rib 22.3 ± 2.6
(n = 40), vertebra 22.4 ± 2.6 (n = 41), skull 22.8 ± 2.9 (n = 29)
36-50 yr: Tibia 16.6 ±4.1 (n = 14), ilium 9.9 ± 1.6 (n = 15), rib 9.7 ± 1.7
(n = 15), vertebra 11.9 ± 2.1 (n = 15), skull 15.2 ± 3.3 (n = 15)
21-35 yr: Tibia 5.9 ±1.2 (n = 18), ilium 5.3 ± 1.2 (n = 16), rib 5.0 ± 1.2
(n = 18), vertebra 6.3 ± 1.3 (n = 17), skull 4.9 ± 1.1 (n = 17)
14-20 yr: Tibia 2.3 ±1.0 (n = 13), ilium 2.3 ± 0.9 (n = 13), rib 2.9 ± 1.4
(n = 12), vertebra 3.8 ± 1.4 (n = 12), skull 3.2 ± 1.7 (n = 10)
0-2 yr: Tibia 0.3 ±0.2 (n = 11), ilium 0.0 ± 0.0 (n = 11), rib 0.7 ± 0.4
(n = 12), vertebra 0.6 ± 0.6 (n = 12), skull 0.6 ± 0.4 (n = 12)
Higher concentrations of Pb in tibia compared with rib and vertebrae and
higher values for males compared with females. Males (n = 46): Ribs
6.70 ± 3.96 (µg/g, wet weight), tibia 12.55 ± 10.65, vertebrae 4.12 ± 2.49.
Females (n = 8): Ribs 3.17 ± 0.91 (µg/g, wet weight), tibia 4.54 ± 2.04,
vertebrae 2.01 ± 0.72.
Changes for different age ranges in Pb concentration for the period
1965-1969:
0-11 months: 3.98 µg/g (n = 28)
1-4 yrs: 10.02 µg/g (n = 32)
5-11 yrs: 12.91 µg/g (n = 26)
12-19 yrs: 7.11 µg/g (n = 26)
$20 yrs: 14.77 µg/g (n = 25)
Ratio of lead in tibia and
skull/iliac/rib/vertebrae
1 from 36 to 75 yrs and
greater than 75 yrs. Evidence
of differential distribution
amongst bones with age; the
earliest difference is apparent
during adolescence when
trabecular bone of the
vertebral body accumulates
significantly more lead than
that of the other 4 sites.
Bone Pb increased with age.
Results were similar to those
of Barry (1978) and Wittmers
et al. (1988).
For period 1965 to 1969
levels vary over age groups
(p = 0.0001) but there was
little gender difference. For
the period 1980 to 1998 for
Winnipeg, values were
approximately half to one
third those prevailing earlier.