High-Precision (MC-ICPMS) Isotope Ratio Analysis Reveals Contrasting Sources of Elevated Blood Lead Levels of an Adult with Retained Bullet Fragments, and of His Child, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson, Henry A. ; Gorski, Patrick R. ; Shafer, Martin M. ; Smith, Kate E. ; Weiss, Debora
• Description:
  Exposure to the neurotoxic element lead (Pb) continues to be a major human health concern, particularly for children in US urban settings, and the need for robust tools for assessment of exposure sources has never been greater. The latest generation of multicollector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) instrumentation offers the capability of using Pb isotopic signatures as a tool for environmental source tracking in public health. We present a case where MC-ICPMS was applied to isotopically resolve Pb sources in human clinical samples. An adult male and his child residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presented to care in August 2015 with elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) (>200 µg/dL for the adult and 10 µg/dL for the child). The adult subject is a gunshot victim who had multiple bullet fragments embedded in soft tissue of his thigh for approximately 10 years. This study compared the high-precision isotopic fingerprints (<1%o 2s external precision) of Pb in the adult's and child's whole blood (WB) to the following possible Pb sources: a surgically extracted bullet fragment, household paint samples and tap water, and a Pb water-distribution pipe removed from servicing a house in the same neighborhood. Pb in the bullet and adult WB were nearly isotopically indistinguishable (matching within 0.05-0.56 %, indicating that bullet fragments embedded in soft tissue could be the cause of both acute and chronic elevated blood Pb levels. Among other sources investigated, no single source dominated the child's exposure profile as reflected in the elevated BLL. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Hematologic Tests Lead Occupational Health Public Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Pb Isotopes Blood Lead Blood Lead Levels Blood Samples Bullet Firearms Gunshot Wounds Health Effects Humans Mass Spectrometry MC-ICPMS Pb Sources Public Health Sampling

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• ISSN:
  0163-4984
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  11 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066598
• Citation:
  Biol Trace Elem Res 2017 May; 177:33-42
• Contact Point Address:
  Kate E. Smith, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2601 Agriculture Dr, Madison, WI, 53718
• Email:
  kate.smith@slh.wisc.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20150701
• Source Full Name:
  Biological Trace Element Research
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:844a27fa15cb6e362eeb7face28c5587be9bdc5999c3d74443724f36d69faadfa0303a2c7559c432dc1907c48af4d6cd98a48d791d607a585665bd9e8aa84416
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230721/cdc_230721_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.04 MB ]