title: Application of clearance concepts to the assessment of exposure to lead in drinking water.
abstract: This paper explores the application of clearance concepts to environmental toxicology. Lead, for which a clearance of about 0.5 ml/min is estimated from published data, is chosen as an example. An index for the contribution of drinking water to total exposure is developed using these concepts. For lead, this index is shown to increase with the concentration of the metal in water; it is higher for children than for adults. At the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 micrograms/L proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average contribution from lead in drinking water is estimated to be 7 percent. The contribution in children is about twice as great. At and above the current MCL of 50 micrograms/L, drinking water becomes a major source of lead exposure.
authors.affiliation: University of California-San Francisco, School of Pharmacy 94143-0446.
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Bois
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Tozer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeise
authors.forename: L Z
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Benet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007854:Lead / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D008297:Male; D008657:Metabolic Clearance Rate; D009566:Nitrates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D007854:Lead