Publication of NIOSH Alert:
Request for Assistance in Preventing Lead Poisoning
in Construction Workers
CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) periodically issues alerts about workplace hazards that
have caused death or serious injury or illness to workers. One such
alert, Request for Assistance in Preventing Lead Poisoning in
Construction Workers (1), was recently released and is now
available to the public. * This alert presents new evidence
associating lead poisoning with abrasive blasting, sanding,
cutting, burning, or welding of bridges and other steel structures
coated with lead-containing paints.
The alert describes cases of lead poisoning (defined by NIOSH
as a concentration of lead in whole blood exceeding 50 ug/dL) in 42
construction workers at bridges in eight different sites. At least
26 (62%) of the 42 cases occurred among workers employed at a site
using a containment structure. The actual number of cases of
occupational lead poisoning nationwide is higher than 42 but cannot
be accurately determined because employers are not required to
routinely measure lead concentration in the blood of exposed
construction workers. One of the national health objectives for the
year 2000 is to eliminate occupational lead exposures that result
in blood lead concentrations greater than 25 ug/dL of whole blood
(objective 10.8) (2).
For the construction industry, NIOSH and the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration recommend that exposure to lead
dust and fumes be minimized by using engineering controls and work
practices, and that personal protective equipment (PPE)--including
respirators--be used for additional protection (3). Airborne lead
concentrations and blood lead concentrations should be monitored to
determine the effectiveness of controls and PPE. All new contracts
of federal, state, and local departments of transportation should
include specifications for a mandatory program of worker protection
from lead poisoning during the maintenance, repainting, or
demolition of bridges and other steel structures.
References
NIOSH. NIOSH alert: request for assistance in preventing lead
poisoning in construction workers. Cincinnati: US Department of
Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, CDC, 1991; DHHS
publication no. (NIOSH)91-116.
Public Health Service. Healthy people 2000: national health
promotion and disease prevention objectives -- full report, with
commentary. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human
Services, Public Health Service, 1991; DHHS publication no.
(PHS)91-50212.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, NIOSH. Working
with lead in the construction industry. Washington, DC: US
Department of Labor; US Department of Health and Human Services,
Public Health Service, CDC, 1991.
Single copies of this document are available without charge from
the Information Dissemination Section, Division of Standards
Development and Technology Transfer, NIOSH, 4676 Columbia Parkway,
Cincinnati, OH 45226; telephone (513) 533-8287.
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