Abstract
Although considerable research has been conducted regarding airborne lead exposures during lead paint removal, little data has been collected measuring the lead concentration on workers’ hands in the construction industry. As a result, there are gaps in our understanding of the effectiveness of a standard work practice control (handwashing) in the prevention and control of elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) in the workplace. The primary objective of this study was to assess if a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) formulation intended to remove lead from skin (Hygenall© LeadoffTM Foaming Soap) is more effective than a commonly used soap in the industrial painting industry (Zep Cherry Bomb Soap) in reducing the concentration of lead on workers’ hands after exposure. A secondary aim was to assess if using LeadoffTM Foaming Soap during handwashing reduces worker uptake of lead on bridge painting projects. We evaluated hand wipe, air sample and blood lead level data collected by two industrial bridge painting contractors. Airborne exposures ranged from 350 μg/m3 to 19,700 μg/m3. The geometric mean lead concentration remaining on workers’ hands after using Zep Cherry Bomb Soap was 77 μg per hand wipe compared with 61 μg per hand wipe after use of LeadoffTM Foaming Soap for all work classifications. The geometric lead concentration on workers’ hands decreased by 16 μg/hand wipe for all work classifications combined after using LeadoffTM Foaming Soap—a decrease of 21%. The use of Hygenall LeadoffTM Foaming Soap reduced the maximum lead concentration on workers’ hands by 85%. The geometric mean BLL for all work classifications was 12.1 μg/dl before the use of LeadoffTM. After two months of airborne exposure and use of LeadoffTM Foaming Soap at breaks and at the end of the workday, the geometric mean BLL for all work classifications increased to 18.1 μg/dl. Worker BLLs increased despite the reduction in the concentration of lead measured on workers’ hands—most likely a result of ineffective inhalation exposure controls. We found that the LeadoffTM Foaming Soap was more effective in removing lead from workers’ hands than Zep Cherry Bomb.
Highlights
In 1993 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a lead construction industry standard to reduce workplace exposures to prevent blood lead levels (BLLs) > 25 μg/dl [1]
The primary objective of this study was to assess if a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) formulation intended to remove lead from skin (Hygenall© LeadoffTM Foaming Soap) is more effective than a commonly used soap in the industrial painting industry (Zep Cherry Bomb Soap) in reducing the concentration of lead on workers’ hands after exposure
Air sample and blood lead level data collected by two industrial bridge painting contractors
Summary
In 1993 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a lead construction industry standard to reduce workplace exposures to prevent BLLs > 25 μg/dl [1]. Despite many protective risk management provisions in the lead construction standard, and many years of focused intervention efforts through OSHA’s National Emphasis Program [2] to reduce workplace lead exposure, elevated BLLs (>25 μg/dl) persist among workers in the industrial painting industry [3] [4]. The OSHA construction lead standard is silent regarding the effectiveness of handwashing with soap and water as a means to remove lead from workers’ skin. Research conducted by NIOSH identified a weakness in the lead standard’s ingestion exposure control guidance when they observed that traditional handwashing with soap and water did not remove all lead from the workers’ skin in various work settings [6] [7]. NIOSH’s findings regarding the effectiveness of regular soap at removing lead from the skin are significant because residual lead on the skin increases the risk of lead uptake by hand-to-mouth ingestion [8]
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