Influence of lead on calcium metabolism

Five-week-old female albino rats were given 0.2 or 20.0 mg of lead acetate by gastric intubation daily for seven days. Calcium-47, applied orally or intraperitoneally, was used as marker to assess calcium retention in the body and its excretion by faeces and urine. The animals were killed three days after the last application. Calcium metabolism was unaffected by the 0.2 mg lead dose, while 20.0 mg lead per day increased its absorption from the intestinal tract.