Fifty-six women who at recruitment were on average 3.5 years postmenopausal were placed on calcium supplementation. After approximately 4 years of hormone replacement, lead content was measured at the tibia and calcaneus by in vivo fluorescence excitation, and lead concentrations were measured in serum, whole blood and urine. There were no differences between groups for lead concentrations measured in trabecular bone, whole blood, serum or urine.
Hormone replacement maintains cortical bone lead content.
In women not on HRT, there will be a perimenopausal release of lead from bone.