Microdetermination and dynamic aspects of in vivo alkyl lead compounds. II. Studies on the dynamic aspects of alkyl lead compounds in vivo.

Since first being manufactured tetraethyl lead poisoning has been reported, and employees engaged in manufacture, mixing or washing with lead added gasoline have had poisoning effects. Death and cases of poisoning still occur. Tetramethyl and tetraethyl lead have been mixed with gasoline for the past 20 years. The former compound shows a higher vapor pressure than the latter, and it can therefore be presumed that cases of poisoning via respiratory organs are increasing with the use of tetramethyl lead. These alkyl lead compounds have central nervous system effects similar to cases of organo-metal compounds, and cause specific symptoms of poisoning entirely different from toxic states as a result of inorganic lead. In addition, tetraalkyl lead absorbed into the living body is reported to transfer quickly to poisonous trialkyl lead.1) The authors have detected a large amount of trimethyl lead in urine of a patient who worked in an offset printing factory and had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of alcoholism.2) As mentioned in part I3), the author discovered adequate methods for determination of organic lead compounds after performing a series of animal experiments. To determine acute toxicity, the author calculate LD50 in mice and conversion velocity from tetraalkyl lead to trialkyl lead in mice was measured as well as distribution and accumulation of alkyl lead in rat organs. The author analyzed the trialkyl lead from the urine of workers on the factory where lead added gasoline was used, and found it even in case of no clinical symptoms. Consequently this method facilitates factory health administration services.