The effect of chronic low level lead intoxication on the Haversian remodeling system in dogs

The greatest portion of lead ingested by human beings or experimental animals is stored in bone. Once in bone, lead is difficult to remove. It may have a half-life of 20 years or more and could interfere with bone metabolism. The effects of lead intoxication on the production of intercellular matrix have been reported previously but the effects of lead on bone turnovers rates were not reported. In this paper we reported the results of a study of the effects of lead on bone turnover in dogs. Differences between experimental and control dogs were found when measuring appositional rates, radial closure rates, activation frequencies, osteon formation times, and bone formation rates. We found that dogs subjected to a low dose (1.3 mg. per kg. per day) of lead over a long period of time (201 days) showed a statistically significant decrease in bone formation activity at the cell (90 per cent), tissue (85 per cent), and organ (78 per cent) levels when compared to controls. Although these observations were made on a small experimental and control sample (four dogs), they suggest that chronic low dose lead intoxication does alter normal bone physiology.