Hazard Evaluation and Technical Assistance Report No. TA-78-59, Minerals Reclamation Corporation, Adell and Milwaukee, Wisconsin

摘要

The health of workers was evaluated August 24 and 25, 1978, at the Minerals Reclamation Corporation in Adell and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to determine the health effects of employee exposure to lead (7439921). The evaluation was requested by OSHA on behalf of an unspecified number of workers after air sampling and wipe samples revealed lead concentrations in excess of the OSHA standard of 0.2 milligrams of lead per cubic meter of air. Of the 15 workers, all had blood lead concentrations higher than the NIOSH evaluation criteria of 60 micrograms per deciliter except for one worker who had been exposed to lead for only 1 week. Hemoglobin and hematocrit values were below the normal range. About 34 percent of the exposed workers had signs of weakness. The investigators conclude that lead exposure is a health hazard for employees in both facilities. They recommend that immediate steps be taken to reduce exposure to lead through engineering and administrative controls, and improved housekeeping, with personal protective equipment used only as an interim measure until other methods are put into effect. They recommend further evaluation and possible treatment of the four most severely affected workers.