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Lead

Bergdahl, Ingvar A. LU and Skerfving, Staffan LU (2021) 2. p.427-493
Abstract

Inorganic lead is the most extensively studied environmental toxin. Today's humans have in the order of 100 times higher lead exposure, compared to prehistoric humans, mainly from food. The exposure was even higher during the 20th century, mainly due to lead addition to gasoline. Today, high exposures occur in many occupations, but also through, for example, contaminated drinking water, traditional drugs, lead paint, and soil and dust in "hotspots" around mines and smelters. Absorbed lead is widely distributed in the body. It accumulates in the skeleton, which, in turn, causes endogenous exposure, especially during pregnancy/lactation and in osteoporosis. Lead passes over the placenta into the fetus, and via breast milk into the infant.... (More)

Inorganic lead is the most extensively studied environmental toxin. Today's humans have in the order of 100 times higher lead exposure, compared to prehistoric humans, mainly from food. The exposure was even higher during the 20th century, mainly due to lead addition to gasoline. Today, high exposures occur in many occupations, but also through, for example, contaminated drinking water, traditional drugs, lead paint, and soil and dust in "hotspots" around mines and smelters. Absorbed lead is widely distributed in the body. It accumulates in the skeleton, which, in turn, causes endogenous exposure, especially during pregnancy/lactation and in osteoporosis. Lead passes over the placenta into the fetus, and via breast milk into the infant. The mode(s) of action is not known; different mechanisms might be operating at different concentrations. Toxic effects occur first in the nervous system of fetuses/infants/children, with small cognitive effects already at a mean blood lead concentration (B-Pb) of ≤0.05. μmol/L (≤10. μg/L; which is well below the worldwide mean), without any threshold. Lead effects have also been reported for the cardiovascular system [increase of blood pressure at B-Pb well below 0.5. μmol/L (100. μg/L)], the kidney, post- and prenatal growth, cognition in also adults and elderly, the blood, the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract, and the female and male reproduction. There is important genetic modification of the toxicity. Lead is carcinogenic in animal experiments, but there is only limited evidence in humans.The organolead compounds tetraethyl- and tetramethyllead, earlier used in enormous quantities in leaded gasoline, are easily absorbed at inhalation and through the skin and may cause acute encephalopathia.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Blood pressure, Cardiovascular, CNS, Environment, Epidemiology, Fetus, IQ, Lead, Nervous system, Occupational, Public health, Toxicity
host publication
Specific Metals
volume
2
pages
67 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85126280419
ISBN
9780128229460
DOI
10.1016/B978-0-12-822946-0.00036-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
41233182-22e2-4817-a727-8f0748433a5e
date added to LUP
2022-05-02 14:54:26
date last changed
2022-05-02 14:54:26
@inbook{41233182-22e2-4817-a727-8f0748433a5e,
  abstract     = {{<p>Inorganic lead is the most extensively studied environmental toxin. Today's humans have in the order of 100 times higher lead exposure, compared to prehistoric humans, mainly from food. The exposure was even higher during the 20th century, mainly due to lead addition to gasoline. Today, high exposures occur in many occupations, but also through, for example, contaminated drinking water, traditional drugs, lead paint, and soil and dust in "hotspots" around mines and smelters. Absorbed lead is widely distributed in the body. It accumulates in the skeleton, which, in turn, causes endogenous exposure, especially during pregnancy/lactation and in osteoporosis. Lead passes over the placenta into the fetus, and via breast milk into the infant. The mode(s) of action is not known; different mechanisms might be operating at different concentrations. Toxic effects occur first in the nervous system of fetuses/infants/children, with small cognitive effects already at a mean blood lead concentration (B-Pb) of ≤0.05. μmol/L (≤10. μg/L; which is well below the worldwide mean), without any threshold. Lead effects have also been reported for the cardiovascular system [increase of blood pressure at B-Pb well below 0.5. μmol/L (100. μg/L)], the kidney, post- and prenatal growth, cognition in also adults and elderly, the blood, the immune system, the gastrointestinal tract, and the female and male reproduction. There is important genetic modification of the toxicity. Lead is carcinogenic in animal experiments, but there is only limited evidence in humans.The organolead compounds tetraethyl- and tetramethyllead, earlier used in enormous quantities in leaded gasoline, are easily absorbed at inhalation and through the skin and may cause acute encephalopathia.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bergdahl, Ingvar A. and Skerfving, Staffan}},
  booktitle    = {{Specific Metals}},
  isbn         = {{9780128229460}},
  keywords     = {{Blood pressure; Cardiovascular; CNS; Environment; Epidemiology; Fetus; IQ; Lead; Nervous system; Occupational; Public health; Toxicity}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{427--493}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  title        = {{Lead}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822946-0.00036-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/B978-0-12-822946-0.00036-2}},
  volume       = {{2}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}