Aguilar-Madrid G, Piacitelli G M, Juárez-Pérez C A, Vázquez-Grameix J H, Hu H, Hernández-Avila M
Centro de Investigación Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, México.
Salud Publica Mex. 1999 Jan-Feb;41(1):42-54.
To describe occupational lead exposure and its biological indicators in workers in a printing company.
An epidemiological and industrial hygiene research was undertaken. Lead was measured in the air of work environment and on the hands of the participants; additionally, subjects underwent a venous blood samples for the determination of whole blood lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry; and a bone lead measurement using a spot-source 109Cd K-X-ray fluorescence instrument. Also, a standardized questionnaire was applied. We obtained information on demographic and life styles factors, work history, type of work, position and activity within the company.
Of the 209 workers, 117 agreed to participate and 90 (83.3% males and 16.7% females) completed all phases of the study. The average lead concentrations were: in air samples, of 0.94 microgram/m3; in hands before washing, of 6,802 micrograms/m2; in hands after washing, of 194 micrograms/m2; in whole blood, of 12.3 micrograms/dl; and in tibia and fibula, of 25.9 and 43.3 micrograms Pb/g of bone mineral, respectively. Important variations in these measurements were observed according to the workers post.
Worldwide, lead exposure levels have been used to evaluate acute exposures being in the workplace. The higher lead levels find in the bone of the workers in this study are similar to other occupational studies in the United States of America and suggest that the accumulated metal in bone may be an important endogenous exposure source, and here its measurement importance. However in developing countries because its high costs per application, the measurements in bone lead become limited to epidemiological research, although not as an instrument for occupational epidemiological surveillance. In Mexico, there are no reliable studies of occupational lead exposure, which would allow the establishment of both, maximum permissible ambient and biological levels. This study is intended to contribute to blood lead standard setting, which is being discussed in Mexico.
描述一家印刷公司工人的职业性铅暴露及其生物指标。
进行了一项流行病学和工业卫生研究。在工作环境空气中以及参与者手上测量铅含量；此外，受试者接受静脉血样采集，通过原子吸收分光光度法测定全血铅含量；并使用点源109Cd K-X射线荧光仪测量骨铅含量。同时，应用了一份标准化问卷。我们获取了有关人口统计学和生活方式因素、工作史、工作类型、公司内职位和活动的信息。
在209名工人中，117人同意参与，90人（83.3%为男性，16.7%为女性）完成了研究的所有阶段。平均铅浓度分别为：空气样本中0.94微克/立方米；洗手前手上6802微克/平方米；洗手后手上194微克/平方米；全血中12.3微克/分升；胫骨和腓骨中分别为25.9和43.3微克铅/克骨矿物质。根据工人职位观察到这些测量值存在重要差异。
在全球范围内，铅暴露水平已被用于评估工作场所的急性暴露情况。本研究中工人骨骼中发现的较高铅水平与美国的其他职业研究相似，表明骨骼中积累的金属可能是一个重要的内源性暴露源，以及在此处测量的重要性。然而在发展中国家，由于每次应用成本高昂，骨铅测量仅限于流行病学研究，而非作为职业流行病学监测工具。在墨西哥，没有关于职业性铅暴露的可靠研究，这使得无法确定最大允许环境水平和生物水平。本研究旨在为墨西哥正在讨论的血铅标准制定做出贡献。
