Model of the Relative Contribution of Atmospheric Lead to Total Human Lead Exposure in the United States

摘要

This paper describes a systematic evaluation of the total lead exposure of humans from both natural and anthropogenic sources. The evaluation is a multi-media approach that establishes an intermediate step in modelling the relationship between air lead and tissue lead. The model summarizes the total human exposure to lead from all sources in anticipation that such information can be correctly applied to physiological models that interpret the relationship between lead exposure and tissue lead concentrations. Only those pathways that expose the human body to lead in the human environment are discussed. The model does not attempt to define exposure in natural ecosystems nor is it concerned with details of the physiological processes affecting the distribution of lead within the human body.