Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Rearing the Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae) in Controlled Conditions: A Case Study with Heavy Metal Tolerance
Published on: August 18, 2023
The epidemiology of lead toxicity in adults: measuring dose and consideration of other methodologic issues
Howard Hu1, Regina Shih, Stephen Rothenberg
1Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. howardhu@umich.edu
Abstract:
We review several issues of broad relevance to the interpretation of epidemiologic evidence concerning the toxicity of lead in adults, particularly regarding cognitive function and the cardiovascular system, which are the subjects of two systematic reviews that are also part of this mini-monograph. Chief among the recent developments in methodologic advances has been the refinement of concepts and methods for measuring individual lead dose in terms of appreciating distinctions between recent versus cumulative doses and the use of biological markers to measure these parameters in epidemiologic studies of chronic disease. Attention is focused particularly on bone lead levels measured by K-shell X-ray fluorescence as a relatively new biological marker of cumulative dose that has been used in many recent epidemiologic studies to generate insights into lead's impact on cognition and risk of hypertension, as well as the alternative method of estimating cumulative dose using available repeated measures of blood lead to calculate an individual's cumulative blood lead index. We review the relevance and interpretation of these lead biomarkers in the context of the toxico-kinetics of lead. In addition, we also discuss methodologic challenges that arise in studies of occupationally and environmentally exposed subjects and those concerning race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status and other important covariates.
More Related Videos
08:46Dose Uptake of Platinum- and Ruthenium-based Compound Exposure in Zebrafish by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry with Broader Applications
Published on: April 21, 2022
06:00Experimental Protocol for Using Drosophila As an Invertebrate Model System for Toxicity Testing in the Laboratory
Published on: July 10, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Toxicity Testing in Animals
Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements
Periodic Table Provides Information...
The Periodic Table and Organismal Elements