Lead and Public Health: Science, Risk and Regulation

The book presents a detailed assessment of the health science of lead and the human health risk assessment models for lead’s human health impacts, followed by an account of various regulatory efforts in the United States and elsewhere to eliminate or reduce human toxic exposures to lead. The science of lead as presented here covers releases of lead into the environment, lead’s movement through the environment to reach humans who are then exposed, and the spectrum of toxic effects, particularly low-level toxic effects, on the developing central nervous system of the very young child. The section on human health risk assessment deals with quantifying not only the dose-response relationships that underlie toxic responses to lead in sensitive populations but also with the likelihood of toxic responses vis-à-vis environmental lead at some level of exposure. This section includes a treatment of computer models of lead exposure, particularly those that use lead in whole blood as a key measure. Various models convert lead intake via various body compartments into measures of body lead burden. Such measures are then directly related to severity of injury.

The final section of the book deals with past and present regulatory efforts to control lead releases into the human environment. Current control efforts present a mixed picture. The most problematic issue is the continued presence of lead paint in older housing and lead in soils of urban and mining industry communities.

Comprehensive assessment of the three major facets of the public health problem of lead: the voluminous science, the risk assessment approaches, and approaches to controlling lead as a public health problemIntegration of the above three elements to provide a coherent wholeProvides a single source of information that will be extremely valuable to all professionals working in areas impacted by this toxic substance

Ch 1: Introduction Ch 2: A Brief Early History of Lead as an Evolving Global Pollutant and Toxicant Ch 3: Lead in the Human Environment: Production, Uses, Trends Ch 4: Lead in the Human Environment: Lead Emissions and Emission Trends Ch 5: Lead in the Human Environment: Fate and Transport Processes Ch 6: Lead Concentrations in Environmental Media Relevant to Human Lead Exposures Ch 7: Lead Exposure in Human Populations: Lead Intakes Ch 8: Lead Exposure in Human Populations: Lead Toxicokinetics and Biomarkers of Lead Exposure Ch 9: Predictive Modeling Approaches for Assessing Human Lead Exposure Ch 10: The Environmental Epidemiology of Human Lead Exposure Ch 11: Lead Toxicity in Humans: a Brief Historical Perspective and Public Health Ch 12: Neurotoxicity of Lead in Human Populations Ch 13: Cardiovascular Toxicity of Lead in Human Populations Ch 14: Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity of Lead in Human Populations Ch 15: The Nephrotoxicity of Lead in Human Populations Ch 16: Hematological Effects of Lead in Human Populations Ch 17: Carcinogenic and Genotoxic Effects of Lead in Human Populations Ch 18: Immunotoxic Effects of Lead in Human Populations Ch 19: Effects of Lead on Other Organs and Systems in Human Populations Ch 20: Human Health Risk Assessment for Lead: Introduction, Context, Rationale Ch 21: Hazard Characterization for Lead in Human Populations Ch 22: Dose-Response Relationships for Toxic Effects of Lead in Human Populations Ch 23: Exposure Characterizations for Lead in Specific Human Populations Ch 24: Health Risk Characterization of Lead Effects in Human Populations Ch 25: Legislative Aspects of Lead Regulation and Regulatory Policies Ch 26: Lead Regulation and Regulatory Policies: Lead in Paint Ch 27: Regulation and Regulatory Policies for Lead in Ambient Air Ch 28: Regulation and Regulatory Policies for Lead in Water Ch 29: Regulation and Regulatory Policies for Lead in Food