The lead content of teeth or tooth-parts has been used as a biomarker of cumulative lead exposure in clinical, epidemiological, environmental, and archaeological studies. Through the application of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, a pilot study of the micrometer-scale distribution and quantification of lead was conducted for two human teeth obtained from an archeological burial site in Manhattan, New York, USA. Lead was highly localized within each tooth, with accumulation in circumpulpal dentine and cementum. The maximum localized lead content in circumpulpal dentine was remarkably high, almost 2000 μg g(-1), compared to the mean enamel and dentine content of about 5 μg g(-1). The maximum lead content in cementum was approximately 700 μg g(-1). The large quantity of cementum found in the teeth suggested that the subjects had hypercementosis (excess cementum formation) of the root, a condition reported to have been prevalent among African-American slave populations. The distribution of lead in these human teeth was remarkably similar to the distribution that we previously reported in the teeth of present-day lead-dosed goats. The data shown demonstrate the feasibility of using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to examine lead exposure in archaeological studies.

中文翻译：

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激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱法对考古人类牙齿不同部位铅的定量测定的评价。

牙齿或牙齿部分的铅含量已被用作临床、流行病学、环境和考古研究中累积铅暴露的生物标志物。通过应用激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱法，对从美国纽约曼哈顿考古墓地获得的两颗人类牙齿进行了微米级铅含量和定量的初步研究。铅高度集中在每颗牙齿内，并在牙周牙本质和牙骨质中积累。与牙釉质和牙本质的平均含量约 5 μg g(-1) 相比，牙髓周围牙本质中的最大局部铅含量非常高，接近 2000 μg g(-1)。牙骨质中的最大铅含量约为 700 μg g(-1)。在牙齿中发现的大量牙骨质表明，受试者的牙根有牙骨质过多（牙骨质形成过多），据报道这种情况在非洲裔美国奴隶人口中很普遍。这些人类牙齿中铅的分布与我们之前报道的当今服用铅的山羊牙齿中的分布非常相似。显示的数据证明了在考古研究中使用激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱法检查铅暴露的可行性。这些人类牙齿中铅的分布与我们之前报道的当今服用铅的山羊牙齿中的分布非常相似。显示的数据证明了在考古研究中使用激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱法检查铅暴露的可行性。这些人类牙齿中铅的分布与我们之前报道的当今服用铅的山羊牙齿中的分布非常相似。显示的数据证明了在考古研究中使用激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱法检查铅暴露的可行性。