Document v12NGDx7JZ7XxB29xgwOVjoDR
211 Milby St.
COPY OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH LABORATORIES .
Houston 3# Texas
Phone CApitol 7*5708
October 19, 1955
Mr. Manfred Bovrditch Lead Industries Assn, L20 Lexington Avenue New York 17, N.Y.
Dear Sir)
We are equiped and have been running urinary leads (Dithisone) and Coproporphyria XII tests for some of the local lead' industries including Lead Products Co., Houston Lead Co., Houston Battery Sales, Tex-Ford Battery Co. and Silverloy Battery Co.
If you should run across someone in this area interested in obtaining this type of examination, we would appreciate being referred to them.
Enclosed note OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH BULLETIN NO. 3, which we are distribut ing to the local lead plants.
Sincerely,
/s/ William U. Giessel, H.D.
William U. Giessel, U.D. Medical Director Occupational Health Laboratories
$
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH BULLETIN NO. 3
TO : Health & Safety Department
PROM ' : Occupational Health Laboratories
SUBJECT: Practical Approach To The Industrial Lead Problem
CAUSE I* Inorganic lead Poisoning is caused by the inhalation of lead dust or fume which enters the blood stream from the lungs.
II* tactically all workers in lead plants inhale lead and will become ill if enough lead is inhaled over a long enough period of time.
III. The difference between lead absorption (the amount of lead in the system) and lead poisoning (onset of signs and symptoms, such as constipation, abdominal cramps, headaches, nausea and vomiting, anemia, weakness, etc.) is one of degree only.
PLANT EVALUATION
I. The most practical way to evaluate the inr-plant problem is to analyze each worker who has been sampling the plant atmosphere over a certain period of time, and who is excreting in his urine amounts of lead which are definitely related to the amount of lead inhaled.
II. Analyze the plant atmosphere directly for lead and strive to keep the plant atmospheric lead concentration, below the maximum^allowable concentration (0.15'millignm?/ cu.meter of air.). This is the amount of lead in the air that a normal worker cav. inhale during an eight-houir shift over a life time without suffering detectable damge. The maximum allowable concentration indicates the worst condition which should be tolerated by the workers.
/
III. The coproporphyrin urinary test will detect incipient lead damage before the worker develops symptoms. It is an inexpensive, rapid screening test to determine which workers should then be followed by a urinary lead examination.
PREVENTION '
I. Install adequate exhaust ventilation at those positions where the workers show abnormally high lead values in urine or where the maxi mum allowable concentration in the air is constantly exceeded.
II. Treat those workers with high urinary lead values (but without evidence of poisoning) with E.D.T.A. (Brand of Calcium Disodium Salt of Ethylene-diamine Tetraacetic Acid - RIKER). This is a "wonder drug", which will combine with the lead in the system and neutralize it and cause it to be excreted harmlessly in the urine.
III. Give all workers an iron-vitamin preparation (Heptuna Plus - Pfizer) in order to prevent nutritional anemia which would predispose the harmful effects of lead on the blood count.
HP i 03697
N22148.01
OCCUPATIONS WHICH OFFER LEAD EXPOSURE
Acid finishers (glass) Actors
Airplane pilots - crop dusting
Amber workers Art-glass workers
Artificial-flower mak ers
Artificial-pearl mak ers
Babbitt metal workers Babbitters Battery (dry) makers Blacksmiths Blooders (tannery) Bookbinders Bottle-cap makers Brass founders Brass polishers Braziers Brick burner s
Brickmakers Bronzers Browners (gun barrels) Brush makers
Buffers (rubber) Burners (enameling) Cable makers Cable splicers Canners Cartridge makers Cement workers (ceramic) Chipper s Cigar makers Colobers (white) of shoes Color makers Compositors Compounders (rubber) Cqncentrating-mill workers
(lead and zinc) Copper refiners Crayon (colored) makers Cut-glass workers Cutlery makers Decorators (pottery) Dental workers Diamond polishers
Dye makers Dyers Electroplaters Electrotypers
Embroidery workers Emery-wheel makers Enamelers Enamel makers Engravers (steel) Explosives workers
Farmers File cutters Filers Filling-station workers
Galvanizers
Reclaimers (rubber)
Garage workers
Red-lead workers
Gardeners
Refiners (metal)
Gasoline blenders
Riveters
Glass finishers
Roofers
Glass mixers
Rubber workers
Glass polishers
Sagger makers
Glaze dippers (pottery)
Sandpaperers (enameling
Glaze mixers (pottery)
and painting auto
Glost-kiln workers
bodies, etc.)
Gold refiners
Screen workers (lead and
Oinders (metals)
zinc smelting)
Grinders (rubber)
Sheet metal workers
Incandescent-lamp makers
Shellackers
Ink makers
Shellac makers
Insecticide makers
Shot makers
Japan makers
Silk weighters
Japanners
Slip makers (pottery)
Jewelers
Slushers (porcelain enam
Junk--metal refiners
eling)
Labelers (paint cans)
Solderers
Lacquerers
Solder makers
Lacquer makers
Sprayers (trees)
Lead burners
Stainers (shoes)
Lead-foil makers
Stereotypers
Lead miners
Storage-battery makers
Lead-pipe makers
Sulphuric-acid workers
Lead-salts makers
Table turners (enameling)
Lead smelters
Tannery workers
Linoleum makers
Temperers
Linotypers
Tetraethyl lead makers
Linseed-oil boilers
Textile printers
Litharge workers
Tile makers
Lithographers
Tin-foil makers
Lithotransfer workers
Tinners
Match factory workers
Toy makers
Metallizers
Transfer workers (pottery)
Mirror silverers
Type founders
Mixers (rubber)
Type melters
Molders (foundry)
Varnishers
Monotypers
Varnish makers
Musical instrument
Wall-paper printers
makers
Welders
Nitric-acid workers
White-lead workers
Nitroglycerin makers
Wood stainers
Painter s
Zinc miners
Paint makers
Zinc smelters
Paint removers
Paperhangers
TABLE II
Paper makers
from:
Patent-leather makers (Occupation Hazards &
Petroleum refiners
Diagnostic Signs -
Photograph retouchers
United States Dept, of Labor
Pipe Fitters
Bulletin #41 -- Revised, 1942
Plumbers
United States Dept, of Labor
Polishers
Maurice J. Tobin, Secy.
Pottery workers
Page - 49)
Printers
Putty makers Putty polishers (glass)
1/ jf' PmI
u do
r\ y
o
Pyroxylin-plastics workers
*
.... -2~ FOLLOW-UP
,
I. Periodic re-examination is necessary to detect those workers abnormally sensi tive to lead (even, when the M.A.C. is not being exceeded), to observe the results of treatment with E.D.T.A., and to detect early any possible break--down in ventilation procedure, and to detect previously unsuspected exposures.
II. It is vitally important to examine all new employees since many will come from other lead plants where they may have absorbed excessive amounts of lead and then have been released from employment.
STANDARDS FCR SAFEGUARDING THE HEALTH OF THE INDUSTRIAL LEAD WffiKER
(a) Threshold limits for concentrations of injurious lead dust in the workroom air (M.A.C.)--0.15 milligrams/ cubic meter of air.
(b) The biological threshold limit of lead in urine:
NORMAL RANGE:
0.00 - 0.08 mgm. lead/liter of urine.
SIGNIFICANT RANGE: 0.08 - 0.15 mgm. lead/liter of urine.
DANGER RANGE:
0.17 mgm. (or greater)/liter of urine. .
(c) Pretoxicosis screening test (Urinary coproporphyrin IH test): For the detection of subtle metabolic changes in the body before injury
of serious proportions has developed.
(d) Prophylactic and antidotal agents are available. ^
t!No substance is so toxic that it cannot be used ... no substance is so nontoxic that it should be used without caution.n
-- James A. Sterner, M. D Medical Director Eastman Kodak Company.
0 3699
IMPORTANT
LEAD
COMPOUNDS
>
%
Lead metal: found .chiefly alloyed with antimony, tin, or copper Litharge, FbO: used especially in storage battery manufacturing. Red lead, Fb^O^: used in paints and storage batteries, lead dioxide, FbO2: used in chemical industry. Lead carbonate, 2FbC03 PbCOH^: white lead, used in paints. Lead sulfate, PbSO^: a paint pigment. Lead Titanate, FbTiC^: a paint pigment. Lead acetate, Pb( 02^02)2* The most, common water-soluble compound of lead Lead arsenate, Pb3(AsO^)2J A common insecticide. Lead chloride, FbC^: probably formed when fluxes are used with .heated lead. Lead silicate, FbS^: present in glasses and vitreous enamels. Lead chromate, PbCrO^: used in yellow and green pigments. Lead borate, Pb(B02;2: employed in certain plastics
/
Lead sulfide, PbS: occurs naturally as galena. Lead tetraethyl, Pbf^Hj)^: used in gasoline.
TABLE
I
from; Chemistry of Industrial Toxicology by Hervey B. Elkins
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York Chapman & Hall, Limited, London, 1950 page 49