This study aimed to quantify the accuracy and precision of a method for in vivo measurements of lead in bone using L-shell x-ray fluorescence (LXRF), the former via comparison with independent measurements of lead in bone obtained using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) following acid digestion. Using LXRF. the lead content of adult human cadaver tibiae was measured, both as intact legs and as dissected tibiae with overlying tissue removed, the latter at several proximal-distal locations. After LXRF, each tibia was divided into nine cross-sectional segments, which were further separated into tibia core and surface samples for AAS measurement. The proximal-distal variability of AAS-measured core and surface tibia lead concentrations has been described elsewhere (the lead concentration was found to decrease towards both ends of the tibia). The subjects of this paper are the proximal-distal variability of the LXRF-measured lead concentrations, the measurement uncertainty and the statistical agreement between LXRF and AAS. There was no clear proximal-distal variability in the LXRF-measured concentrations; the degree of variability in actual tibia lead concentrations is far less than the LXRF measurement uncertainty. Measurement uncertainty was dominated by counting statistics and exceeded the estimate of lead concentration in most cases. The agreement between LXRF and AAS was reasonably good for bare bone measurements but poor for intact leg measurements. The variability of the LXRF measurements was large enough, for both bare bone and intact leg measurements, to yield grave concerns about the analytical use of the technique in vivo.

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Our aims in this study were to determine proximal-distal variability in adult human tibia lead concentration via electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) and to determine whether there were any differences between core and surface tibia lead concentrations. We analyzed duplicate core and surface tibia samples for lead at multiple proximal-distal sections on 10 adult human cadaver legs. Dried bone samples were digested in nitric acid using microwave-assisted heating, and lead content was determined by ETAAS with Zeeman background correction. Lead concentrations in nine tibiae (one tibia was excluded because some of the data were compromised) ranged from 3.1 to 27.9 microg lead/g of dry bone. Both core and surface tibia lead concentrations were lower at the proximal and distal ends of the tibia. Surface tibia lead was approximately 5 microg/g greater than core tibia lead in six tibiae with relatively low lead concentration, and 8 microg/g greater in three tibiae with relatively high lead concentration. The difference between core and surface tibia lead was independent of proximal-distal tibia location. We conclude that these nine human tibiae showed a greater surface tibia lead concentration than core tibia lead concentration. This observation has consequences for the noninvasive measurement of tibia lead via K-shell and L-shell X-ray fluorescence.

This study evaluated the effects of various combinations of fuels and emission control technologies on exhaust emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine tested on an engine dynamometer. Ten fuels were studied in twenty four combinations of fuel and emission control technology configurations. Emission control systems evaluated were diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), continuously regenerating diesel particulate filter (CRDPF), and the CRDPF coupled with an exhaust gas recirculation system (EGRT). The effects of fuel type and emission control technology on emissions of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene (BTEX), and 1,3-butadiene, elemental carbon and organic carbon (EC/OC), carbonyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and nitro-PAHs (n-PAHs) are presented in this paper. Regulated gaseous criteria pollutants of total hydrocarbons (THC), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)) and particulate matter (PM) emissions have been reported elsewhere. In general, individual unregulated emission with a CRDPF or an EGRT system is similar (at very low emission level) or much lower than that operating solely with a DOC and choosing a "best" fuel. The water emulsion PuriNO(x) fuel exhibited higher BTEX, carbonyls and PAHs emissions compared to other ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuels tested in this study while n-PAH emissions were comparable to that from other ULSD fuels. Naphthalene accounted for greater than 50% of the total PAH emissions in this study and there was no significant increase of n-PAHs with the usage of CRDPF.

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