Although lead has been extensively studied in children, its sources and effecs remain undear in adolescents. This study examined the relation ofblood and tibia bone lead levels to lead determinant. One hundred adolescents living in Mexico City and surrounding suburbs were studied.Blood lead was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy, and tibia lead was measured by a K X-ray Fluorescence (KXRF) instrument. Blood lead ranged from 1.8 to 29.2 pgldl, with a mean of 7.4 p/dl. Bone lead ranged from ci to 44.82 pg Pblg bone mineral, with a mean of 4.8 pg Pb/g. Predictors of bone lead included higher traffic density near the home, mother's smoking history, and ie spent outdoon. Predicton of log-transformed blood lead indclded bone lead levels, male sex, use of lead-glazed ceramics, and living in Mexico City. Bone lead remained a significant predictor of blood lead after adjusting for covariates in a final multivariate regresion model. In our final model, a rise in bone lead from the middle ofthe lowest quintile to the middle of the highest quintile (a difference of 21.6. pg Pb/g) was associated with an increase in blood lead of 1.2 pldl. Our data suggest that in addition to current sources of environmental lead exposure, bone lead accumulated over time constitutes a moderate source ofcirculating lead during adolescence and may account for some of the adverse health effes documented in recent studies. Key work bone lead, blood lead, K X-ray fluorescence, teenagers. Environ Health Perpet 106: 733-737 (1998). [Online 19 October 1998] http://ehpneal.nies.nih.gv/docs/1998/106p733-737farias/abstchsml Lead remains one of Mexico City's primary environmental pollutants despite increasing use of unleaded gasoline and recent regulations governing paint containing lead, leadsoldered cans, and lead-glazed ceramics (1). This is of concern because health effects related to lead are being documented at ever lower levels. Indeed, no threshold has been identified below which lead exposure can be considered safe (2,3).Much investigation has focused on the effects of lead in children, but adolescents have been largely understudied. Because behavior patterns change with age, sources of lead exposure may vary in populations of different age distributions (1). Maternal lead levels transferred to the fetus via the placenta or to the breast-fed infant via breast milk and environmental exposures via hand-mouth behavior are responsible for the high exposure levels observed during early development. Subsequently, exposure from ambient lead diminishes and internal sources (mostly bone lead) may become more important as a chronic source of endogenous lead.Adolescence is a uniquely important period in relation to lead effects because physical growth is at a rapid and final stage and therefore vulnerable to lead action (4). In addition, growth-induced bone turnover may also release lead stored in bone, thereby increasing the amount of lead dose and toxicity elsewhere in the body. Lead toxicity may worsen school performance during these years (2...
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