Rodent tooth as a tool for environmental lead (Pb) assessment

摘要

Lead (Pb) is an environmental and occupational pollutant known to induce a wide range of physiological and biochemical dysfunctions especially in children. Although lead poisoning has receded in developed countries, chronic exposure to low levels of Pb remains a concern particularly among some minorities and disadvantaged groups. In case of many developing and industrializing countries, both occupational and environmental Pb exposures have remained a serious problem. Blood lead (Pb-B) is commonly used as an indicator of Pb exposure in population surveys. However, Pb-B is an 'instantaneous' indicator that reflects acute exposure by assuming a static picture of a dynamic process that includes intake, excretion, and tissue storage leading to Pb-B variation within about 28 days. The concentration of Pb in teeth (Pb-T), on the contrary, is a cumulative function of earlier exposure which allows the identification of undetected cases of undue lead absorption whenever other indices have returned to normal. The present study was conducted to investigate Pb teeth (Pb-T) in experimentally and naturally (wild) exposed rodents as a possible tool for environmental Pb assessment.