ATDSR Toxicological Profile

Check the ATDSR website Lead | Toxicological Profile | ATSDR

Routes of Exposure. For the general population, exposure to Pb occurs primarily via the oral route, with some contribution from the inhalation route, whereas inhalation exposures can be more important in occupational settings, depending on particle size. In addition, occupational exposure to organic Pb compounds may involve dermal absorption as a significant exposure route.

Epidemiology studies have relied on internal dose metrics (e.g., PbB, bone Pb), which reflect Pb body burden (to varying degrees), irrespective of the route of exposure. The primary systemic toxic effects of Pb are the same regardless of the route of entry into the body. 

The most common metric of absorbed dose for Pb is the concentration of lead in blood (PbB), although other measures of exposure (e.g., concentration of Pb in bone, hair, teeth, or urine) are used.

Lead in hair mainly reflects exposure history of the previous few months. Pb in bone is considered a biomarker of cumulative or long-term exposure because Pb accumulates in bone over the lifetime and most of the Pb body burden resides in bone. Most of the body burden of Pb (the total amount of Pb in the body) is distributed to the bone, with approximately 94 and 76% of the body burden found in bone in adults and children, respectively. The remainder is distributed to blood and soft tissues. However, the concentration of Pb in blood can vary considerably with age and physiology/lifestage (e.g., pregnancy, lactation, menopause).