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BARIUM IN TEETH AS INDICATOR OF BODY BURDEN
Citation:
Miller, R., J. Featherstone, M. Curzon, T. Mills, AND C. Shields. BARIUM IN TEETH AS INDICATOR OF BODY BURDEN. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-85/397 (NTIS PB86201696), 1985.
Description:
A study was conducted to determine the biological availability of naturally occurring barium in a municipal drinking water by the analysis of barium in deciduous teeth of children. The grade school children of two Illinois towns were chosen for the study. The towns were chosen based upon the barium content of their drinking water supply, geographic proximity, population, ethnic composition, and socio economic status of its residents. The high barium town had an average drinking water level of 10 mg/L and a mean of 36 micrograms Ba/g Ca in teeth of life-long residents drinking city water compared to teeth levels of 7 micrograms Ba/g Ca in the children of the low level barium town which had a drinking water concentration of 0.2 mg/L barium.