House dust samples containing 25-738 mg of Pb kg(-1) from 15 cities in China were assessed for in vitro Pb bioaccessibility and in vivo Pb relative bioavailability. On the basis of stable Pb isotope ratios, the Pb in dust samples mainly originated from coal combustion. Lead bioaccessibility was determined using gastric (GP) and intestinal phase (IP) of solubility bioaccessibility research consortium (SBRC), in vitro gastrointestinal (IVG), Deutsches Institut für Normunge.V. (DIN), and physiologically based extraction test methods (PBET), while Pb relative bioavailability (RBA) was determined using a mouse blood model. Lead bioaccessibility in 24 house dust samples varied significantly (23-99%) depending on the methods. Values from the IP were considerably lower than those from the GP because of the co-precipitation of Pb with iron and re-adsorption onto the dust matrix. The SBRC assay with lower GP pH produced higher Pb bioaccessibility because of enhanced Pb dissolution. When compared to mouse blood data using 12 dust samples (29-60%), SBRC-GP and DIN-GP data were correlated with Pb RBA with r(2) values of 0.68 and 0.85 and intercepts 3.15 and 17.4, respectively. Overall, SBRC-GP had potential to predict Pb RBA in dust samples. However, our data suggested that more research is needed to develop a valid in vitro method for predicting Pb RBA in house dust.