Rj. Rossouw et al., EFFECT OF AIRBORNE LEAD ON LEAD LEVELS OF BLOOD TAIL VERTEBRAE, ILIACCREST AND EPIPHYSES OF THE RAT, South African journal of science, 91(9), 1995, pp. 484-486
Lead has no metabolic role in the human body and its presence is assoc
iated with various toxic effects. Groups Of 20 inbred rats were expose
d to: I) 'clean air' (0.05 mu g Pb per m(3)) for 70 days; 2) 77 mu g P
b per m(3) for 70 days; 3) 249 mu g Pb per m(3) for 28 days; and 4) 15
46 mu g Pb per m(3) 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. Tail vertebrae, iliac crest and ep
iphyses' radius, and blood were analysed fop lead by atomic absorption
spectrophotometry. In the rats killed immediately after exposure, the
[end levels of blood, iliac crest, epiphyses and rail vertebrae diffe
red significantly among all 4 groups, except between groups 2 and 3 fo
r the tail vertebrae, indicating the importance of the combined effect
of airborne lend concentration and length of exposure. A higher level
was associated throughout, with nn increase in the period of exposure
. Far the post-exposure rats, the blood showed no significant differen
ces among groups 1, 2 and 3. However for tail vertebrae, iliac crest a
nd epiphyses no significant differences were found between groups 2 an
d 3. Lead turnover had the following sequence: blood (soft tissue) > i
liac crest (trabecular bane) > epiphyses (trabecular and compact bone)
> tail vertebrae (compact bane). Blood lead became supplemented throu
gh the process of bone remobilization and different bone compartments
for the metal appear to exist.