Hot Topics - Lead

Lead at Home

For decades, we have known that exposure to high levels of lead can damage the nervous system in children, causing problems that range from hearing loss and seizures to unconsciousness and death. More recent research has demonstrated a link between even relatively low levels of exposure and learning disabilities, behavioral problems and decreased intelligence.

Children are more sensitive to the harmful effects of lead than adults, because more of the lead they swallow gets into their bloodstream (as much as 50 percent of the ingested lead, contrasted with 20 percent in adults). Children also are at greater risk because they often play on the floor or ground, where lead-contaminated dust or soil is found. And they are much more likely than adults to put this material in their mouths.

Considerable efforts have been made to reduce children's exposure: Lead-based house paints have been banned since 1978, toy makers can no longer use lead-containing paints and the use of lead additives in gasoline has decreased.

In spite of these measures, it is estimated that nearly 900,000 American children have abnormally high levels of lead in their blood because of exposure to lead in paint, dust, soil and contaminated drinking water.

Here are several ways to protect your children against excessive exposure to lead: Identify and eliminate any lead-based paint in your home. Many older homes-especially those built prior to 1978-still contain paint with high lead levels. Lead-based paint that is peeling or chipping is especially dangerous because young children may eat it. If you believe lead paint may be a problem, you can have your home inspected. For a list of certified inspectors in your area, contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development's lead listing at 888-532-3547 or http://www.leadlisting.org.

If you discover lead-based paint in your home, the best solution is to hire a certified abatement company to remove it. Never attempt to get rid of leaded paint yourself by scraping or sanding it; this creates large amounts of lead dust and can actually increase your risk of toxic exposure. If you are unable to afford professional abatement or it is impractical, a good alternative is to cover the surface with a durable, tough material (like drywall or paneling). Painting or wallpapering over lead paint usually does not provide sufficient protection.

If you have children, the places they visit frequently, such as grandparents' homes and child care centers, should also be inspected for the presence of leaded paint.

Be sure lead levels are low in your drinking water. Public water supplies are checked regularly and by law must be kept at safe levels. Once the water reaches your home, however, lead levels can increase for a number of reasons. Lead-containing pipes in your home and pipes connected with lead solder can contaminate the water, as can faucets that contain lead.

To minimize the amount of lead that leaches into the water from these sources, use only cold water for cooking and drinking, and flush the pipes for one to two minutes before taking water from a faucet that has not been used for six hours or more. Water filters vary greatly in their effectiveness against lead. A good filter can reduce the amount of lead in your water by as much as 98 percent.

Serve well-balanced meals that are rich in calcium and iron. Consumption of these minerals reduces the amount of lead your body will absorb. Regular meals and snacks are also recommended, since lead is absorbed more efficiently on an empty stomach.

If you have children, talk to their pediatrician about the need for blood lead testing. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the following groups of children be tested:

1. All children living in areas where a substantial portion of the housing was built before 1950;
2. All children living in communities with high rates of elevated blood lead levels among 1- and 2-year-olds;
3. Children who have other risks for elevated blood lead levels, including children who live in or who regularly visit a house or child care facility built before 1950, children living in or regularly visiting a house or child care facility built before 1978 that is being renovated or has recently been renovated, and siblings or playmates of a child with elevated lead levels.

If tests show that your child's lead level is high, the source of the lead exposure must be identified and removed from the child's environment. This may be all that is necessary to correct the problem. If the child's blood lead levels are very high, special medications must be administered. For more information about lead, contact the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Lead Program at 800-LA-4LEAD.

Lead in the Workplace

Most people are familiar with the problem of lead poisoning in children. In fact, many adults are affected by this problem also. While in children lead exposure typically occurs in or around the home, for adults it’s primarily a workplace problem.

Workers in over 120 different industries are exposed to lead. Construction workers, for example, might come across lead when performing demolition; painters may come into contact with it when sanding or scraping old lead-based paint; radiator repair workers can be exposed to lead when welding or soldering parts.

Many of these workers don’t recognize that they’re handling materials that contain lead. Even those that do frequently don’t understand why it presents a hazard.

Lead can enter the body in one of two ways: small lead particles can be inhaled directly or they can settle on things like food and drinks and subsequently be ingested. (Most lead cannot enter the body through the skin.) Lead particles are generated in a variety of different ways. Melting or soldering a lead-containing alloy, for example, creates lead fumes; cutting, grinding, or polishing a material that contains generates lead dust; and spraying a lead-containing paint or glaze forms a lead mist.

After entering the body, lead circulates in the blood and is stored in the bones. Over time, lead can build up in the body and cause a variety of health problems. Lead’s effect on the nervous system can result in headaches, irritability, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration, and memory loss; its effects on the gastrointestinal system include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, lack of appetite, and abdominal pain. Damage to the bone marrow caused by lead can result in anemia, or a reduced red blood cell count. Severe lead poisoning can be fatal.

But exposure to lead—particularly at low levels—does not always cause symptoms. Even when symptoms are present, they are often subtle and may mimic other illnesses. This can make lead poisoning difficult to diagnose. In fact, serious and sometimes irreversible health problems can occur before lead poisoning is detected.

That’s why it’s important to be regularly tested for lead exposure if you work with it. A blood test, called a blood lead level, can be used to measure the amount of lead in your blood. If your blood lead level is found to be high, your employer must remove you from the area or task where your exposure to lead is occurring. Once your exposure has stopped, your body will naturally eliminate lead over time and your blood lead level will gradually decline. In cases of severe poisoning, medications may be necessary to treat the poisoning.

California state law requires that employers take precautions to protect workers from lead exposure. The General Industry Lead Standard enforced by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) requires that employers:

Train employees how to work with lead safely. Health and safety training on the hazards of lead must be conducted annually.

Monitor the air for lead. Your employer must keep the amount of lead in the air you breathe below a “permissible exposure limit’ established by Cal/OSHA. (The permissible exposure limit is 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air.)

Provide medical monitoring. Medical examinations and blood lead testing must be made available to employees exposed to air lead levels at or above an ‘action level’ established by Cal/OSHA. (The action level is 30 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air.)

When air lead levels exceed the permissible exposure level, the employer must also:

Furnish protective clothing and equipment. Appropriate protective work clothing and equipment must be provided to employees.

Provide a change room and shower facilities. Separate storage facilities for work clothing and equipment and for street clothing must be available to prevent cross contamination with lead.

Provide a clean lunchroom. Eating, drinking, and smoking in areas where air lead levels are elevated must be prohibited.

Unfortunately, not all employers abide by these regulations. For example, studies have found that only a small percentage of employers in lead industries provide routine blood lead testing for lead-exposed employees.

If you believe you work with lead and feel that your employer is not taking the appropriate precautions to protect you, contact Cal/OSHA. Cal/OSHA will not tell your employer who made the call. For help finding the office nearest you, contact the Cal/OSHA headquarters at (415)703-5100.

LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES
Lead at Home
Lead in the Workplace

LEAD AT HOME

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts13.html

American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.aap.org/policy/re9815.html
(Screening for Elevated Blood Lead Levels: Policy Statement)
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;116/4/1036
(Lead Exposure in Children: Prevention, Detection, and Management)

American College of Preventive Medicine
http://acpm.org/polstmt_blood.pdf
(Policy Statement: Screening for Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children)

Department of Housing and Urban Development
http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/communityinformation.cfm

Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/pubs/leadpdfe.pdf
(Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home)
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/nlic.htm
(The National Lead Information Center)
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead
(Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil)

Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Lead Program
http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/lead/reports/leadbroc.pdf
(A Guide to a Health and Lead-Safe Home for Children)

National Institutes of Health and U.S. National Library of Medicine (MEDLINEplus for Lead Poisoning)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leadpoisoning.html

National Safety Council
http://www.nsc.org/ehc/lead.htm

LEAD IN THE WORKPLACE

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