A Study of the Immunotoxic Effects of Lead

Details

• Personal Author:
  Biagini, Raymond E. ; Boeniger, Mark F. ; Hull R ; Luster M ; Pinkerton L ; Schnorr, Teresa M. ; Ward E
• Description:
  Lead both stimulates and suppresses different aspects of immune function in animals. To date, there is limited human data on the immunologic effects of lead. In this study, 145 secondary lead smelter workers and 84 unexposed workers were evaluated to determine the immunologic effects of lead exposure. Saliva was analyzed for IgA (sIgA), and blood was analyzed for cell markers, immunoglobulins (IgA, IgG, IgM), complement, natural killer cell activity, and lymphocyte response to tetanus toxoid. The median blood lead level was 39 microg/dL (range: 15-55 microg/dL) among exposed and <2 microg/dL among unexposed workers (range: <2-12 microg/dL). The percentage of CD 19+ cells was lower (13.93% vs. 16.05%) and the percentage of CD3+ cells was higher (75.15% vs. 72.74%) in the exposed group than in the unexposed group (t test or Wilcoxon rank sum test; p<0.05). The mean levels of IgA, IgG, and slgA were also higher in the exposed group (222.59 mg/dL vs. 196.12 mg/dL, U77A7 mg/dL vs. 1077.96 mg/dL, and 19.50 vs. 12.56 mg/dL, respectively). These preliminary results suggest that lead may affect the immune system, stimulating the production of certain immunoglobulins, increasing the proportion of T (CD3+) cells, and decreasing the proportion of B (CDI9+) cells. Although extreme changes in immune parameters can reduce resistance-to disease, the clinical significance of these mild immuno-logic effects is unclear. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomarkers Blood Environmental Monitoring Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Hematologic Tests Immune System Lead Metal Workers Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Toxicology Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Biological-effects Biological-monitoring Blood-analysis Blood-cells Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-methods Immune-reaction Immune-system Immunoglobulins Immunotoxins Lead-fumes Lead-production Lead-smelting Lymphatic-system Occupational-exposure Occupational-health Risk-factors Statistical-analysis Toxic-effects Toxic-materials Toxic-vapors Toxicopathology Toxins Work-analysis Work-environment Work-practices Worker-health Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0002-9262
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  141
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20035613
• Citation:
  Am J Epidemiol 1995 Jun; 141(11)(Suppl):S7
• Contact Point Address:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DSHEFS, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1995
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Epidemiology. Abstracts of the 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research, Snowbird, Utah, June 21-24, 1995
• Supplement:
  Suppl
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:434a96ffc152a09b2950b92742c8028fed76659ddf8308b3a8b4b3deee7ea9919bf3cacdda1bfc18e50af17a1368f99178e47d542d0cf551a1cd2dcd8ef41fcb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187412/cdc_187412_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 307.52 KB ]