Lead poisoning among battery reclamation workers--Alabama, 1991.

In March 1991, the Alabama Department of Public Health lead surveillance program received a report from a participating laboratory of an elevated blood lead level (BLL) in an employee of a company engaged in a battery-breaking operation. The health department referred the case to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which initiated an investigation of company medical-monitoring records and identified 13 workers with elevated BLLs. In May 1991, OSHA requested technical assistance from CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to evaluate the workers for lead intoxication. This report summarizes the findings of the investigation.