LEAD is NOT Dead in your Workplace Environment

But lack of Knowledge could leave your dead!

So in your HEALTH AND SAFETY PROGRAM and TRAINING

• Under the regulations do you cover worker lead threats and risks

• Especially to certain occupations

Yes it is

Death Cancer SICKNESS

FIRST AID and SDS’s

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In what products was lead commonly used?

• Gasoline (phase-out began 1980)

• Smelting • Lead batteries (25-

78% of all lead used in U.S.)

• Paints and coatings• Solder• Auto manufacturing• Printing

Exposure and PPE Control

Interior drain pipe

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Interior window sill (radiator cover is non-LBP)

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Ways in which lead enters the body

• Inhalation - Breathing lead fumes or dust. This is the most common route of entry in the workplace.

• Ingestion - Swallowing lead dust via food, cigarettes etc.

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Health Effects

• Lead which is inhaled or ingested gets into the bloodstream.

• Can be circulated throughout your body.

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Health Effects

• Some is excreted while some remains in organs and body tissues.

• If exposure continues, the amount stored in your body will increase if you are absorbing more lead than your body is excreting.

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Chronic Health Effects

During prolonged chronic exposure, many body systems can be affected by lead, including:

• Brain• Kidneys • Muscles• Bones • Blood forming organs• Reproductive systems 

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Chronic Health Effects(Resulting from High Lead Exposure and Absorption

Into Body)

• Severe damage to blood forming, nervous, urinary and reproductive systems

• Loss of appetite, metallic taste in the mouth, anxiety, constipation, nausea, pallor, excessive tiredness, weakness, insomnia, headache, nervous irritability, muscle and joint pain or soreness, fine tremors, numbness, dizziness, hyperactivity and colic (with severe abdominal pain, lead line

• Person is easily irritated and may become aggressive

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Chronic Health Effects

• Reproductive systems of both men and women may be affected– Decreased sex drive, impotence and sterility in

men– Miscarriage and stillbirth in women whose

husbands were exposed to lead or where they were exposed

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Chronic Health Effects

• Children born of parents who were exposed to excessive lead are more likely to have birth defects, mental retardation, behavioral disorders or die during the first year of childhood

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Other Chronic Health Effects

Hypertension • Lead exposure has been consistently

associated with increases in blood pressure in studies conducted in both workers and the general population.

• Blood lead levels of less than 20 μg/dL sometimes are associated with increases in blood pressure.

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Other Chronic Health Effects

Decreased kidney function • Low to moderate levels of lead exposure also

have been associated with adverse changes in kidney function.

• This association may be even worse in people who have other risk factors for kidney disease, such as hypertension or diabetes.

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Acute Health Effects

• Acute health effects only appear when worker is exposed to extremely high amounts of lead

• Acute encephalopathy (disorder or disease of the brain) may develop quickly followed by seizures, coma and death from cardio-respiratory arrest

• Again, highly unusual, but not impossible

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Housekeeping/Work Practices

• Use exhaust ventilation to capture dust/fumes whenever possible;

• HEPA vacuum dust-covered work surfaces; dry sweeping or compressed air is prohibited; wet methods may be used;

• Do not eat, drink, smoke or apply cosmetics in areas where lead/lead dust is present;

• Wash hands and face after lead work; • Wear protective clothing to avoid getting dust on

your clothes and then bringing it home to spouse and children.

When working with products that contain lead, such as lead-based paints and lead blocks:

What Jobs Involve Lead? What Jobs Involve Lead?

• Lead smeltingor mining

• Construction/ remodeling• Automobile repair• Plumbing• Police officers/military• Many others

What Hobbies Involve Lead?What Hobbies Involve Lead?

• Car repair• Artistic painting• Stained glass• Pottery glazing• Soldering• Target shooting• Making bullets, slugs

or fishing sinkers

• Lead can enter water by leaching from– Lead-containing pipes– Brass faucets– Solder

• Boiling does not get rid of lead• Running cold water before

use may reduce exposure

Lead in Drinking WaterLead in Drinking Water

Lead in Commercial ProductsLead in Commercial Products

• Lead is still used in products such as:– Bridge paint– Computers– Solder– Pewter– Ceramic glazes– Jewelry– Automotive batteries

• Imported or older pre-regulation products

Clinical EvaluationClinical Evaluation

• Preventive screening• Exposure History• Physical evaluation• Signs and symptoms

Signs and Symptoms: Low ToxicitySigns and Symptoms: Low Toxicity

• Myalgia or paresthesia • Mild fatigue • Irritability • Lethargy • Occasional abdominal discomfort

Signs and Symptoms: Moderate ToxicitySigns and Symptoms: Moderate Toxicity

• Arthralgia • General fatigue • Difficulty concentrating/Muscular exhaustibility • Tremor • Headache • Diffuse abdominal pain • Vomiting • Weight loss • Constipation

Signs and Symptoms: Severe ToxicitySigns and Symptoms: Severe Toxicity

• Paresis or paralysis • Encephalopathy—may abruptly lead to

seizures, changes in consciousness, coma, and death

• Lead line (blue-black) on gingival tissue • Colic (intermittent, severe abdominal cramps)

Complete Blood CountComplete Blood Count

• May show basophilic stippling* in patients with extended significant exposure

* Also seen in arsenic poisoning

Lead poisoning Normal red blood cells

basophilicstippling

Longbone radiographsLongbone radiographs

Lead Lines

Lead Lines

“Lead Lines” in five year old male with radiological growth retardation and blood lead level of 37.7µg/dl

(Photo courtesy of Dr. Celsa López Campos, Clinical Epidemiologic Research Unit, IMSS, Torreón, México)

I'm not fear mongering, I'm Educating via Prevention and LONG LIFE!

SummarySummary

• Primary sources: deteriorated paint, contaminated dust or soil, and some products

• Lead is very dangerous to young children and the developing fetus

• Certain workers may be exposed

• Focus on preventing exposure/removing source