Worker Lead Exposures During Renovation of Homes with Lead-Based Paint

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gittleman, Janie ; Singal, Mitchell ; Sussell, Aaron L.
• Description:
  We evaluated lead exposures among full-time home renovators and part-time volunteers working primarily in pre-1960 homes with lead-based paint. Potentially hazardous lead exposures were measured during two tasks: exterior dry scraping and wet scraping. Maximum exposures were 120 and 63 ug/m3, respectively. Exposures during other tasks, including general repair, weatherization, exterior scraping/painting (mostly applying new paint), window replacement, demolition, and plumbing, were low (range 0.1 to 16 ug/m3), as were all 13 full-shift personal exposures [geometric mean (GM) = 3.6 ug/m3; range 0.2 to 12 ug/m3]. Blood lead levels for full-time workers ranged up to 17.5 ug/dl, with a GM of 5.2 ug/dl; the GM for volunteers was 3.2 ug/dl. All of the paint samples collected from work surfaces had detectable amounts of lead (GM = 1.05%), with 65 percent (32) of the work surfaces tested having an average lead concentration of >0.5 percent. Paired sampling results indicate that chemical spot test kits, when used by industrial hygienists, are highly sensitive (100% positive) in screening for high levels (>9%) of lead in painted work surfaces, and somewhat less so (88% positive) for lower lead levels (>0.5%). Mean paint lead concentrations were well correlated with mean worker exposures during renovation, both by house (r=0.875) and by work surface (r=0.898). Average surface lead loadings measured on floors in homes undergoing renovation (2045 ug/ft2) and in full-time workers' vehicles (GM=310 ug/ft2) were potentially hazardous to young children. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Environment Environmental Exposure Hematologic Tests Lead Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Paint Safety
• Keywords:
  Blood Analysis Environmental Exposure Environmental Factors Exposure Levels Hazards Industrial Hygienists Lead Compounds Occupational Exposure Occupational Hazards Painters Painting Paints Sampling

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• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• 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
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  13
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20024984
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 1998 Nov; 13(11):770-775
• Contact Point Address:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• CAS Registry Number:
  Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1999
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:80b0e040754308b2ce723bb6f943a7288a44b180cc5e7f328cb757a487470f9232cd1c846cfb28294b89a8c854bb23af35d207ff4bfcd17fd380998cf1af0374
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196524/cdc_196524_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.16 MB ]