Kalahasthi Ravibabu, Barman Tapu
Regional Occupational Health Centre, (Southern) Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
J Health Pollut. 2018 Mar 12;8(17):6-13. doi: 10.5696/2156-9614-8.17.6. eCollection 2018 Mar.
Exposure to lead (Pb) affects multiple health outcomes and physiological systems. In adults, even small increases in blood Pb levels have been associated with decreased glomerular filtration rate, increased risk of hypertension and increased incidence of essential tremor. To date, there have been few Pb-exposure assessments using the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) regulations.
The aim of the present study was to assess Pb-exposure in terms of elevated blood lead levels (BLL) and urinary-δ-aminolevulinic acid (U-δ-ALA) levels of workers exposed to Pb in the lead acid battery industry in Tamil Nadu, India based on Pb exposure regulations set by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and OSHA.
BLLs and U-δ-ALA were estimated in 449 male workers exposed to Pb across ten different job categories in a lead acid battery factory. Worker BLLs were estimated using atomic absorption spectrophotometry and U-δ-ALA was estimated using spectrophotometry.
The Biological Exposure Index of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (BEI-ACGIH) were used to assess Pb exposure. BLLs <30 μg/dL were found in 63.5% of workers, and 36.5% of workers had BLLs>30 μg/dL. The present study also assessed Pb exposure using OSHA regulations and found that 83.3% of workers had BLLs <40 μg/dL and 16.7% of workers had BLLs>40 μg/dL. Among these workers, 0.7% of workers had BLLs >60 μg/dL. An excessive excretion of U-δ-ALA (20-40 mg/L) was noted in pasting area workers (2.6%) followed by executives (2.2%) and assembly workers (0.9%).
Workers in the job categories of pasting and assembly, as well as executives, are at high risk of Pb exposure compared to other job categories. We recommend placing humidifiers on the roof and keeping a water bath closer the to plate cutting area to reduce fugitive Pb dust emissions. We recommended workers with BLLs >60 μg/dL be removed from jobs involving Pb exposure and return to work only when their BLLs are <40 μg/dL.
Obtained.
The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Regional Occupational Health Centre (Southern) Bengaluru, part of the National Institute of Occupational Health of India.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
接触铅（Pb）会影响多种健康结果和生理系统。在成年人中，即使血铅水平略有升高也与肾小球滤过率降低、高血压风险增加和特发性震颤发病率增加有关。迄今为止，很少有使用美国职业健康与安全管理局（OSHA）法规进行的铅暴露评估。
本研究的目的是根据美国政府工业卫生学家会议（ACGIH）和OSHA制定的铅暴露法规，评估印度泰米尔纳德邦铅酸电池行业接触铅的工人的血铅水平（BLL）升高和尿δ-氨基乙酰丙酸（U-δ-ALA）水平来评估铅暴露情况。
对一家铅酸电池厂十个不同工种的449名接触铅的男性工人进行了BLL和U-δ-ALA评估。使用原子吸收分光光度法估算工人的BLL，使用分光光度法估算U-δ-ALA。
采用美国政府工业卫生学家会议（BEI-ACGIH）的生物暴露指数来评估铅暴露情况。63.5%的工人血铅水平<30μg/dL，36.5%的工人血铅水平>30μg/dL。本研究还根据OSHA法规评估了铅暴露情况，发现83.3%的工人血铅水平<40μg/dL，16.7%的工人血铅水平>40μg/dL。在这些工人中，0.7%的工人血铅水平>60μg/dL。在涂膏区工人（2.6%）、管理人员（2.2%）和装配工人（0.9%）中发现尿δ-氨基乙酰丙酸排泄过多（20 - 40mg/L）。
与其他工种相比，涂膏、装配工种的工人以及管理人员铅暴露风险较高。我们建议在屋顶放置加湿器，并在靠近极板切割区域设置水浴，以减少铅尘逸散排放。我们建议血铅水平>60μg/dL的工人调离铅接触工作岗位，仅在血铅水平<40μg/dL时方可重返工作岗位。
已获得。
本研究经印度国家职业健康研究所下属的班加罗尔地区职业健康中心（南部）伦理委员会批准。
作者声明无竞争性财务利益。
