Course Content Page 2

Lead Poisoning

Lead Metabolism

Maternal and environmental lead exposure produces a state of positive lead balance over an individual's lifespan. Shortly after lead enters the body, it travels to the "soft tissues", such as the kidneys, muscles, lungs, brain, and heart. After several weeks, most of the lead moves into the bones. Lead is chiefly stored in the skeleton and exhibits a long half-life of over 10 years -osseous tissues account for greater than 90% of the adult lead burden and about 70% of the child's lead burden. The lead that is not stored in the bones leaves the body mostly through urinary excretion. About 99% of the amount of lead taken into the body of an adult will leave in waste within a couple of weeks, but only 30% of the lead taken into the body of a child will leave in waste. This results in the accumulation of lead in body tissues of a child.

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