![]() Workers are exposed to lead as a result of the production, use, maintenance, recycling, and disposal of lead material and products. For more information on lead standard requirements go to the Standards section of this webpage. The lead standards also include ancillary provisions such as medical surveillance, exposure monitoring, and hygiene facilities and practices that are critical in preventing lead exposure and elevated blood lead levels. The standards also set an action level of 30 μg/m 3, at which an employer must begin specific compliance activities, including blood lead testing for exposed workers. The lead standards establish a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 μg/m 3 of lead over an eight-hour time-weighted-average for all employees covered. See the Health Effects section of this webpage for more information.Įmployers are required to protect workers from inorganic lead exposure under OSHA lead standards covering general industry ( 1910.1025), shipyards ( 1915.1025), and construction ( 1926.62). Workers may develop a variety of ailments, such as neurological effects, gastrointestinal effects, anemia, and kidney disease. While inorganic lead does not readily enter the body through the skin, it can enter the body through accidental ingestion (eating, drinking, and smoking) via contaminated hands, clothing, and surfaces. Lead passes through the lungs into the blood where it can harm many of the body's organ systems. Today, adults are mainly exposed to lead by breathing in lead-containing dust and fumes at work, or from hobbies that involve lead. Lead enters the body primarily through inhalation and ingestion. Organic lead compounds continue to be used in high octane fuel in the aviation industry for piston engine aircraft. Prior to the mid-1980s, the organic lead compounds tetramethyl lead and tetraethyl lead were used as an antiknock additive and octane booster in gasoline but environmental exposure concerns resulted in the gradual phase-out of leaded gasoline in the United States. Lead was used extensively as a corrosion inhibitor and pigment in paints but concerns over its toxicity led to the CPSC in 1977 to ban the use of lead in paint for residential and public buildings. Environmental Protection Agency to work with states and communities to modernize the outdated water infrastructure. creating the potential for lead exposure in drinking water and prompting the U.S. There is an estimated 6.1 million lead pipe service lines for potable water systems still in use in the U.S. Lead is also used in ceramic glazes and as a stabilizer in plastics. ![]() Lead-formed alloys are typically found in ammunition, pipes, cable covering, building material, solder, radiation shielding, collapsible tubes, and fishing weights. is for automotive lead-acid storage batteries, a type of rechargeable electric battery which uses an almost pure lead alloy. Lead can be used as a pure metal, combined with another metal to form an alloy, or in the form of a chemical compound. has 11 operating secondary smelters (7 companies) accounting for 99% of refined lead production in the U.S. has become more reliant on imported refined lead in recent years owing to the closure of the last primary lead smelter in 2013. mines produced 260,000 metric tons, ranking fourth in the world behind China, Australia, and Peru. ![]() production of lead was estimated at 1.3 million metric tons primarily from secondary refining of scrap metal (lead-acid batteries) and 10 mines mostly in Alaska and Missouri. Lead was one of the first metals used by humans and consequently, the cause of the first recorded occupational disease (lead colic in a 4th century BC metal worker). Inorganic lead is a malleable, blue-gray, heavy metal that occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust. ![]() Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologist (CSTE). Management Guidelines for Blood Lead Levels in Adults.OSHA QuickCard™ (Publication 3680), (June 2014). Lead: If You Work Around Lead, Don't Take it Home!. ![]() OSHA Fact Sheet (Publication 3772), (June 2018). Lead Hazards: Protecting Workers at Indoor Firing Ranges.OSHA QuickCard™ (Publication 3771), (June 2018). Lead Exposure: Protecting Workers at Indoor Firing Ranges.OSHA Lead Standards for General Industry and Construction – Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM) – Blood Lead Level for Medical Removal. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |