Abstract
Lead has been used by man since antiquity, and its detrimental health effects are well known for centuries. Inorganic lead enters the body by way of inhalation or ingestion; uptake through the gastrointestinal tract is the more important route of exposure. Absorption is better in infants than in adults. Lead-concentration in whole blood (PbB), normally expressed as µg/1 or µmol/1, is a representative marker of current lead exposure, whereas tooth lead concentrations have also been used as markers of past exposure (Needleman et al. 1979; Winneke et al. 1983). Both placental transfer and transfer across the blood-brain barrier occur easily in the developing brain, so that prenatal exposure as well as CNS-involvement are possible. Lead serves no known physiological function. Almost all organs or organ systems are potential targets for lead:depending on the duration and degree of exposure, diverse biological effects have been described, the more critical of which are those on heme biosynthesis, erythropoiesis, and the nervous system.
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Winneke, G., Lilienthal, H., Krämer, U. (1996). The Neurobehavioural Toxicology and Teratology of Lead. In: Seiler, J.P., Kroftová, O., Eybl, V. (eds) Toxicology - From Cells to Man. Archives of Toxicology, vol 18. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-61105-6_7
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