title: The effect of airborne lead on lead levels of blood, incisors and alveolar bone of rats.
abstract: Groups of 20 inbred rats were exposed to: (1) "clean air" (0.05 micrograms Pb/m3) for 70 days; (2) 77 micrograms Pb/m3 for 70 days; (3) 249 micrograms Pb/m3 for 28 days; and (4) 1546 micrograms Pb/m3 for 50 days. Half the rats in each group were then killed and the other half kept in "clean air" until the blood lead of groups 1-3 had returned to normal. That half of the incisors which had been completely renewed during the experimental period, as well as the alveolar bone of each rat, were analysed for lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In the rats killed immediately after exposure, the lead levels by atomic absorption alveolar bone showed significant differences (p less than 0.05) among all four groups, except between groups 2 and 3, indicating the importance of the combined effect of airborne lead concentration and length of exposure. For blood, significant differences (p less than 0.05) were found among all groups. For the post-exposure rats, the incisors and blood showed no significant differences (p greater than 0.05) among groups 1, 2, and 3. For alveolar bone, significant differences were not found (p greater than 0.05) between groups 2 and 3. It can be concluded that during lead exposure the alveolar bone transformation was the highest and that of incisor tissue just lower, and that blood lead became supplemented through the process of remobilization from alveolar bone, as reported for other bones.
authors.affiliation: Oral and Dental Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Grobler
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Rossouw
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Kotze
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Stander
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D007180:Incisor; D007854:Lead / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013997:Time Factors; D014070:Tooth / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D000393:Air Pollutants; D007854:Lead