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.. 211 Milby St*
g o p Y '
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH LABORATORIES
Houston 3# Texas
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Phone CApitol 7-5708
October 19, 1955
Hr. Manfred Bowditch Lead Industries Aasn, k 2 0 Lexington Avenue New York 17, N.Y.
Dear Sir
We are equiped and have been running urinary leads (Dithisone) and Coproporphyria III teats 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,
/a/ William U. Giessel, M.D.
William U. Giessel, M.D. Medical Director Occupational Health Laboratories
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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH BULLETIN NO. 3
TO : Health & Safety Department
.
FROM ' : Occupational Health Laboratories
SUBJECT: Practical Approach To The Industrial Lead Problem
CAUSE 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 maximunTallowable concentration (0.15 milli-
griui?/ cu.meter of air.).. This is the amount of lead in the air that a normal worker
cav. inhale during an eight"houh shift over a life time without suffering detectable
damage. The maximum allowable concentration indicates the worst condition which
should be tolerated by the workers.
f
'
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 maximum 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.
|*70 03697
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
Broncers
Browners (gun barrels)
Brush makers
Buffers (rubber)
Burners (enameling)
Cable makers
Cable splicers
Canners
Cartridge makers
Cement workers (ceramic)
Chipper s
Cigar makers
Colohers (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
.
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 makersi
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
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2-
FOIL.OW-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 WCRKER
(a) Threshold limits for concentrations of injurious lead dust in the workroom
air (M.A.C.)-- 0o15 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 turine.
(c) Pretoxicosis screening test (Urinary coproporphyrin I H 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.M
James A. Sterner, M. D.
IMPORTANT
LEAD
COMPOUNDS
Lead metal: found .chiefly alloyed with antimony, tin, or copper.
Litharge, PbO: used especially in storage battery manufacturing.
Red lead, Fb^O^: used in paint3 and storage batteries,
lead dioxide, Fb02*. used in chemical industry. Lead carbonate, 2FbC03 PbCOH^: white lead, used in paints.
Lead sulfate, PbSO^: a paint pigment.
Lead Titanate, P b T ^ : a paint pigment. '
.'
Lead acetate, Pb(02^ 02)2* The most, common water-soluble compound of lead
Lead arsenate, Pb3(AsO^)2: A common insecticide.
Lead chloride, FbC^: probably formed when fluxes are used with .heated lead.
Lead silicate, F b S ^ : present in glasses and vitreous enamels.
Lead chromate, PbCrO^: used in yellow and green pigments.
Lead borate, ( B O /i employed in certain plastics. /
Lead sulfide, PbS: occurs naturally as galena.
1
Lead tetraethyl, ^ ^ 2%)^: 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