Lead Exposure in Radiator Repair Workers: A Survey of Washington State Radiator Repair Shops and Review of Occupational Lead Exposure Registry Data

Details

• Personal Author:
  Whittaker SG
• Description:
  Radiator repair workers in Washington State have the greatest number of very elevated (> or =60 microg/dL) blood lead levels of any other worker population. The goals of this study were to determine the number of radiator repair workers potentially exposed to lead; estimate the extent of blood lead data underreporting to the Occupational Lead Exposure Registry; describe current safety and health practices in radiator repair shops; and determine appropriate intervention strategies to reduce exposure and increase employer and worker awareness. Lead exposure in Washington State's radiator repair workers was assessed by reviewing Registry data and conducting a statewide survey of radiator repair businesses. This study revealed that a total of 226 workers in Washington State (including owner-operators and all employees) conduct repair activities that could potentially result in excessive exposures to lead. Approximately 26% of radiator repair workers with elevated blood lead levels (> or =25 microg/dL) were determined to report to Washington State's Registry. This study also revealed a lack of awareness of lead's health effects, appropriate industrial hygiene controls, and the requirements of the Lead Standard. Survey respondents requested information on a variety of workplace health and safety issues and waste management; 80% requested a confidential, free-of-charge consultation. Combining data derived from an occupational health surveillance system and a statewide mail survey proved effective at characterizing lead exposures and directing public health intervention in Washington State. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Automobiles Hematologic Tests Lead Lead Poisoning Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Public Health Safety Safety Management
• Keywords:
  Blood-sampling Industrial-hygiene Lead-compounds Lead-poisoning Motor-vehicles Occupational-exposure Occupational-health Public-health Repair-shops Safety-education Safety-measures Safety-practices Surveillance-programs Worker-health Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  45
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20029271
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2003 Jul; 45(7):724-733
• Contact Point Address:
  Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, Department of Labor & Industries, PO Box 44330, Olympia, WA 98504-4330, USA
• Email:
  whiw235@lni.wa.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Performing Organization:
  Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20060630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:45a90c7e18bb622dc6dbbfa4247716f38934bae23dcb25a7358510402f3c2c79a4ec7fefa51874447c301d300ac2bf96e765bc1323aea725afed786f65f401b8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/190299/cdc_190299_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 458.82 KB ]