Application of liquid chromatography–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to the study of protein-bound lead in human erythrocytes

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Abstract
The coupling of gel chromatography to ICP-MS was evaluated as a tool for the study of lead bound in vivo to proteins in erythrocytes. The chromatogram obtained showed three peaks for lead at apparent molecular masses of 240, 45 and e. g., the ALAD monomer or pyrimidine-5-nucleotidase. The recovery from the column, with the third peak excluded, was 74% for samples from occupationally exposed lead workers and 118% for samples from unexposed workers. The detection limit (twice the baseline noise) was 0.04 ng, corresponding to a blood-lead concentration of 0.01 µmol l–1; however, variations in recovery at low blood-lead levels suggest that the method is, so far, best suited to samples from individuals with elevated blood-lead concentrations, e.g., lead-exposed workers.

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