LEAD DETERMINATIONS IN HUMAN BONE BY PARTICLE-INDUCED X-RAY-EMISSION (PIXE) AND GRAPHITE-FURNACE ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY (GFAAS)

Chronic lead (Pb) intoxication has been linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lead, like many heavy elements, tends to accumulate in bone. PIX E is a powerful analytical tool which permits the determination of Pb at the mu g/g level without requiring sample digestion. GFAAS is one o f the most sensitive methods for the determination of Pb and is capabl e of determining ng/g levels in solution. For bone analyses by GFAAS, sample dissolution and a matrix modifier are required. Rib bone sample s were analyzed for Pb by PIXE and GFAAS. IAEA Animal Bone (H-5) was u sed as a secondary standard for Pb with both methods to ensure accurac y. The range of Pb concentrations in human rib bone was 1.4 -11.5 mu g /g for the trabecular surface by PIXE, 1.3 - 45 mu g/g for the cortica l surface by PIXE, and 1.54 - 11.75 mu g/g for whole bone by GFAAS. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was found for AD versus control for either surface or for whole bone.