Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
The health issues of being exposed to lead in the workplace
Lead Poisoning Prevention Week isn’t the snappiest title for what is an issue that I think for most people is not on their radar. Maybe this is because people know lead is metal that should be treated with caution, but as it’s sometimes can be found in the home and in the workplace.
A google search found that the Lancet Planetary Health estimated that, in 2019, 5.5 million people died because of cardiovascular disease caused by lead poisoning, about three times the number killed by lung cancer. While these figures are concentrated in the world poorest countries, it does show that lead is still a problem and here in the UK. More worrying, lead, which is a neurotoxin, can more easily cross the blood-brain barrier at younger ages, where it can severely affect mental development.
A search through the SOHAS records showed that issue of lead poisoning has rarely come up in the advice we give. I spoke to an environment health officer at Sheffield City Council and found that they hadn’t dealt with the issue for some time either.
Here are a couple of short case histories, one from SOHAS and the other from Environmental Health
A middle-aged person who came to see a SOHAS adviser with a mental health issue. The adviser found that they worked in a small manufacturing company where lead was used in a manufacturing process. The person was a smoker. The adviser asked them to describe the processes used and asked whether they were washing their hands on regular basis, which they said they weren’t. The adviser found that they were not having regular blood tests as they should have under the Control of Lead at Work Regulations. A subsequent blood test did show he had elevated blood lead levels, which may have been caused by the transfer of lead dust from their fingers to their mouth.
A middle-aged person came to the attention of environmental health who had a cut to his finger that was wasn’t healing, their job meant that they collected pieces of lead off the workshop floor to be disposed. They had not been tested for lead blood levels.
A subsequent investigation found that the business had not followed the HSE the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 (CLAW) which place a duty on employers to prevent, or where this is not reasonably practicable, to control employee exposure to lead.
The business was taken to court, prosecuted and fined.
Here is some information for anyone who is working with or around lead
You can be exposed to lead by breathing it in, swallowing it, or absorbing it through your skin.
Breathing lead dust and fumes
- Lead fumes and lead dust do not have an odour and may not be seen in the air, so you may not know you are being exposed.
- Lead fumes are produced during metal processing when metal is heated or soldered. Lead dust is produced when metal is being cut or ground, or when lead paint is sanded or removed with a heat gun. It can also be produced by firing handguns and rifles.
- Your body absorbs higher levels of lead when it is breathed in compared to swallowing it or absorbing it through your skin. Lead fume particles are smaller than lead dust; this means lead fumes can penetrate deeper into your lungs, resulting in higher exposure.
Swallowing lead dust
- Lead dust may not be noticeable. It 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 swallow lead dust without knowing. You can also swallow lead dust if you don’t wash your hands before you eat or touch your mouth.
- Lead can leave a metallic taste in your mouth, though some people may not notice this.
Absorbing lead through the skin
- Some studies have found that lead can be absorbed through skin.
- Absorption can also happen if you handle items contaminated with lead and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Lead dust on your clothes, shoes, or hair can be hard to notice.
Lead poisonings can happen if you are exposed to high levels of lead over a short time period (also called an acute exposure). When this happens, you may experience:
- Metallic taste
- Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Dehydration, headache, exhaustion, irritability, weakness
- Appetite loss
- Memory loss
- Pain or tingling in your hands or feet
Symptoms may occur slowly, so health professions may overlook lead poisoning as the cause as other things can also cause many of these symptoms.
Exposure to high levels of lead may cause:
- Anaemia
- Kidney and brain damage
- Death
Here are some resources that give more information from a statutory point of view
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l132.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/lead/health-effects.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/lead/employershaveto.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/lead/mostatrisk.htm
The institute of specialist surveyors and engineers who can provide help on issues on lead in the workplace
sohasworkplacehealth 