Exposure to lead from the Mystic River Bridge: the dilemma of deleading.

Abstract

City dwellers in the United States are at risk of exposure to lead from numerous sources, including lead-based house paint,1 employment in trades using lead,2 airborne lead from automotive and industrial emissions,3 contaminated food4 and drinking water,5 house dust,6 soil,7 and occasionally, pottery glazes.8 Exposure from each of these sources is additive, and increased absorption of lead from any source reduces the already narrow margin between present-day background exposure and lead toxicity.9 Another, less well-recognized source of urban exposure to lead is the exterior paint applied to steel structures such as bridges, expressways, and elevated railways.10 , 11 Unlike interior paint, which . . .