Health-hazard evaluation report HETA 87-371-1986, technical assistance to the Jamaican Ministry of Health, Kingston, Jamaica

Technical Report · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:6967425

Matte, T D; Burr, G A

A study was made of lead exposure at three-battery manufacturing facilities in Kingston, Jamaica: Tropical Battery with approximately 30 production workers, Apex Battery with 12 workers, and Unistate Battery with five production workers. Each of the three companies was in the process of conducting limited medical screening of their production workers. Full-shift personal breathing-zone air samples for lead ranged from 40 to 5300 micrograms/cubic meter (microg/cu m), from 50 to 3400 microg/cu m, and from 30 to 190 microg/cu m at the three locations, respectively. Operations with the highest lead exposures included the plate separator and battery assembly and they exceeded the OSHA permissible exposure limit of 50 microg/cu m. Blood samples indicated blood lead levels in seven of 29 employees at Tropical were over the recommended medical removal level of 50 micrograms/deciliter (microg/dl) and that 17 of 29 had levels of 40 microg/dl or greater. For the Apex facility the blood lead levels in nine of 12 workers were 60 microg/dl or greater. Blood samples from three of four production employees tested at Unistate exceeded 60 microg/dl. The report concludes that a high risk of lead toxicity existed among workers at the battery manufacturers surveyed. General and local exhaust ventilation should be provided, work practices altered to reduce lead exposure, and respiratory protection programs should be implemented.

• Research Organization: National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6967425
• Report Number(s): PB-90-179292/XAB; HETA--87-371-1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL ACCUMULATION
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ELECTRIC BATTERIES
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELEMENTS
GREATER ANTILLES
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ISLANDS
JAMAICA
LEAD
LEAD-ACID BATTERIES
MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE
MEDICINE
METABOLISM
METALS
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
PERSONNEL
SAFETY
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
TOXICITY
WEST INDIES