Abstract
To evaluate the effectiveness of personal hygiene (handwashing) amongst workers at industrial sites to remove lead from their hands, a retrospective analysis of hand wipe samples was conducted using data collected by two contractors from two bridge painting projects for total lead using method ASTM E-1979-17/EPA SW846 7000B. Exposures resulted from the removal of lead-based paint from the structure and trace elements of lead found in the abrasive blast media. In total, six work tasks were evaluated and sixty unique hand wipe samples were evaluated. Thirty samples were collected during the worker’s lunch break, after they had reportedly washed their hands with a further 30 collected at the end of the workday following the same protocol. To be included in this evaluation, the contractors were required to follow NIOSH Method 9105 (Lead in Dust Wipes-Dermal Surfaces) with subsequent analysis of samples for total lead by an American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) accredited laboratory. All 60 samples contained detectable lead. The lead exposures ranged from 19.5 μg to 3420 μg. The geometric mean for the samples collected was 337 μg. These results indicate that current personal hygiene practices at the evaluated sites are not effective at removing lead from worker’s hands during and after the workday. They also suggest that the residual lead measured on the workers’ hands, at the end of the shift, is likely contributing to the elevated blood lead levels in this population.
Highlights
It has been 26 years since the passage of the OSHA lead in construction standard [1] intended to control both inhalation and ingestion exposures
Unlike the inhalation route of exposure that is controlled by a legally enforceable Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL), there is no dermal loading exposure limit provided by OSHA in the lead in construction standard [1] for managing ingestion exposures
The painters experienced the most intense lead exposure, but they had the greatest reduction in lead levels between the mid-shift and the end of shift
Summary
It has been 26 years since the passage of the OSHA lead in construction standard [1] intended to control both inhalation and ingestion exposures. OSHA’s construction lead standard [1] requires the employment of control methods to reduce employee exposures to inorganic lead for the primary exposure pathways, inhalation and ingestion. Unlike the inhalation route of exposure that is controlled by a legally enforceable Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL), there is no dermal loading exposure limit provided by OSHA in the lead in construction standard [1] for managing ingestion exposures. Handwashing with soap and water before a worker eats, drinks or smokes is the principal exposure control method for reducing lead ingestion exposure [1]
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