THE EXCRETION OF LEAD

Abstract

Evidence was presented by this laboratory in 1926¹ that measurable quantities of lead are excreted in the urine and feces of persons with and without a history of industrial exposure to lead compounds. This finding so far as fecal excretion is concerned has been verified by Leake² and his associates in the United States Public Health Service. They did not study the urinary excretion of lead. The implications which naturally develop from such evidence necessitate further investigation. Few industries exist in which some lead compound is not used. It is conceivable, therefore, that examination into the entire occupational history of an employee might yield information pointing to the existence of sources of exposure previously unrecognized. On the other hand, lead is found in the dust of city streets and elsewhere on the earth's surface.³ It is found in the carcasses of experimental animals so commonly⁴ as