The influence of certain constituents of the diet upon the absorption of lead from the alimentary tract

LEAD may be absorbed from the respiratory tract, from the alimentary tract and from the skin. In industrial Pb poisoning, absorption from the respiratory tract is usually the important factor. In the "normal" hazard, absorption is chiefly from the alimentary tract. This at times may be largely due to con- tamination of foodstuffs and drinking water with undue amounts of Pb. The object of the experiments to be described was to see whether variation in the composition of the diet had any influence upon the absorption of Pb from the alimentary tract.