LEAD

Information for Workers

Jobs That May Have Lead Exposure

These are just a few jobs that are known to use lead or are known to put workers at risk of being exposed to lead:

Artists (materials used may contain lead)
Auto repairers (car parts may contain lead)
Battery manufacturers (batteries contain lead)
Bridge reconstruction workers (old paint may contain lead)
Construction workers (materials used may include lead)
Firing range instructors and gunsmiths (ammunition contains lead)
Glass manufacturers (lead may be used in glass production)
Lead manufacturers
Lead miners
Lead refiners
Lead smelters
Manufacturers of bullets, ceramics, and electrical components (all contain lead)
Painters (old paint and commercial paint may contain lead)
Plastic manufacturers (materials made may contain lead)
Plumbers and pipe fitters (pipes may contain lead)
Police officers (ammunition contains lead)
Radiator repairers (radiators may contain lead)
Recyclers of metal, electronics, and batteries (may contain lead)
Rubber product manufacturers (process contains lead)
Shipbuilders (materials used may include lead)
Solid waste incinerator operators (waste may contain lead)
Steel welder (galvanized steel is coated in part with lead)

How Exposures Can Happen

Breathing in lead fumes or lead dust
Lead fumes are produced during metal processing, when metal is being heated or soldered. Lead dust is produced when metal is being cut or when lead paint is sanded or removed with a heat gun.

Lead fumes and lead dust do not have an odor, so you may not know you are being exposed.

Ingesting lead dust
Lead dust can settle on food, water, clothes, and other objects. If you eat, drink, or smoke in areas where lead is being processed or stored, you could ingest lead dust. Not washing your hands before you eat or touch your mouth are also ways you could ingest lead.

Though not always the case, ingested lead may leave a metallic taste in your mouth.

Coming in contact with lead dust
Some studies have found lead can be absorbed through skin. ¹ If you handle lead and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you could be exposed. Lead dust can also get on your clothes and your hair. If this happens, it’s possible that you may track home some of the lead dust, which may also expose your family.

Health Problems Caused by Lead

It does not matter if a person breathes in, swallows, or absorbs lead particles, the health effects are the same; however, the body absorbs higher levels of lead when it is breathed in.

Within our bodies, lead is absorbed and stored in our bones, blood, and tissues. It does not stay there permanently, rather it is stored there as a source of continual internal exposure. ² As we age, our bones undergo demineralization and the internal exposures may increase as a result of larger releases of lead from the bone tissue. There is concern among women that during menopause lead may mobilize from the bone.³ Post-menopausal women have been found to have higher blood lead levels than pre-menopausal women. ⁴

Health effects from short-term overexposure to lead
Lead poisoning can happen if a person is exposed to very high levels of lead over a short period of time. When this happens, a person may feel:

Abdominal pain
Constipated
Excessively tired
Headache
Irritable
Loss of appetite
Memory loss
Pain or tingling in the hands and/or feet
Weak

Because these symptoms may occur slowly or may be caused by other things, lead poisoning can be easily overlooked as their cause. Being exposed to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death.

Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child. Lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system. Even low-level lead exposures in developing babies have been found to affect behavior and intelligence. Lead exposure can cause miscarriage, stillbirths, and infertility (in both men and women).

Generally, lead affects children more than it does adults. Children tend to show signs of severe lead toxicity at lower levels of lead than adults. Lead poisoning has occurred in children whose parent(s) accidentally brought home lead dust on their clothing. Neurological effects and mental retardation have also occurred in children whose parent(s) may have job-related lead exposure.⁵

Health effects from prolonged exposure to lead
A person who is exposed to lead over time may feel:

Abdominal pain
Constipated
Depressed
Distracted
Forgetful
Irritable
Nauseous/Sick

People with prolonged exposure to lead may also be at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and reduced fertility.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have determined that lead is probably cancer-causing in humans. ¹

How You Can Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe From Lead

Eat and/or drink in areas where lead or lead-containing products are not being handled or processed.
Use an effective lead removal product to clean your hands. NIOSH has quite a bit of research on lead decontamination. Researchers have found that washing hands with standard soap and water is not enough to remove lead residues from your skin. ⁶ NIOSH developed a quick and easy hand wipe technology to let workers know instantly if they have lead on their hands. Now called Full Disclosure®, it was licensed in 2003 and is commercially available from SKC, Inc. NIOSH also developed a decontamination towel, also commercially available, called Hygenall Decontamination Towels, which removes 98% of lead residues from skin. Mention of a company name does not imply commercial endorsement by NIOSH .
Shower and change clothes and shoes after working with or around lead-based products. This will keep lead dust from being tracked through your home, which will lower the chance of your family being exposed.
Work in areas that are well-ventilated.
Wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), such as goggles, gloves, boots, and protective clothing, to prevent contact while working around lead and lead dust. In some cases a respirator may be necessary. Talk with a health and safety or union representative from your worksite or call (800) CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) to learn more.
Talk with your doctor about workplace lead exposure if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Lead Standard states that "the physician may recommend special protective measures or medical removal for an employee who is pregnant or who is planning to conceive a child when, in the physician’s judgment, continued exposure to lead at the current job would pose a significant risk." For more information see Appendix C of the OSHA Lead Standard.
If you are a working mom who is being exposed to lead while still breastfeeding, consult your pediatrician to decide if you should have your blood lead level (BLL) tested.
Talk with your employer to see if they do routine BLL testing; this is a simple blood test that can measure your blood lead levels. If not, you may also talk with your doctor about getting this test done. If levels are high, you can take the above steps to protect yourself and your family.
Contact NIOSH and request to have your work environment assessed for free if you have concerns that you are being exposed to lead or any other workplace hazard. For more details and to fill out a request, visit the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation website.
Contact the OSHA office nearest you if you are concerned about unsafe working conditions.
Check out the publications page for more ways to lower job-related lead exposure, and to learn about recommendations for specific industries.

References

¹U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [2007] Toxicological profile for Lead (update) [http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp13.pdf] Public Health Service Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

²Gulson BL, Mahaffey KR, Mizon KJ, Korsch MJ, Cameron MA, Vimpani G. 1995. Contribution of tissue lead to blood lead in adult female subjects based on stable lead isotope methods.[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7769364] J Lab Clin Med 125:703–712.

³Weyerman M, Brenner H. [1998]. Factors affecting bone demineralization and blood lead levels of postmenopausal women. A population based study from Germany. [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935197937804]Environ Res 76:19–25.

⁴Potula V, Kaye W. [2006]. The Impact of Menopause and Lifestyle Factors on Blood and Bone Lead Levels Among Female Former Smelter Workers: The Bunker Hill Study. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16470548]American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 49:143–152.

⁵National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).Report to Congress on Workers' Home Contamination Study Conducted Under The Workers' Family Protection Act (29 U.S.C. 671a) DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 95-123 [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/95-123.pdf] (1995) PDF 10.2 MB (308 pages)

⁶Filon FL, Boeniger M, Maina G, Adami G, Spinelli P, Damian A. [2006]. Skin absorption of inorganic lead (PbO) and the effect of skin cleansers. Journal of Environmental Medicine. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16832226] 48(7): 692-699.