By
Rachel Shaffer and Steven Gilbert in the Environmental Health News
Lead
poisoning returned to the national consciousness this year through the tragic
events in Flint, Michigan, but drinking water is only one of many exposure
routes.
Because
of outdated federal workplace safety standards, acute and chronic occupational
lead exposure occurs all too often and can harm workers and their children, who
may be exposed prenatally or through lead dust carried into the home.
We
need to protect workers and their families by updating federal workplace lead
standards based on the latest scientific research.
The
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates workplace
lead exposure at the national level through two standards, the general industry
standard and the construction
industry standard.
Both
of these standards are severely outdated, based on information available in the
1970s instead of the latest scientific and medical evidence.
Thus,
while OSHA’s mandate is to “assure so far as
possible every working man and women in the Nation safe and healthful working
conditions,” these goals have not been met for workplace lead
exposure.
Under the existing regulations, workers can be exposed to levels of lead that result in 60 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood before medical removal is required, and they can return to work after their blood lead levels are as high as 40 micrograms per deciliter.
As
comparison, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines blood lead levels
above 5 micrograms per deciliter as “elevated” and has set a “Healthy People
2020” national public health goal that aims to reduce the proportion
of workers with blood lead levels above 10 micrograms per deciliter.
Exposure
to levels of lead much lower than what is allowable under OSHA’s current
standards have been linked to high blood
pressure, decreased kidney function, reproductive effects and neurological
impairments.
In
industries with high potential for lead exposure, such as construction, gun
ranges, and battery reclaiming/manufacturing, not only are workers at risk, but
their families may also be exposed inadvertently through take-home lead dust.
Children’s
developing nervous systems are particularly vulnerable, and lead exposure can
result in intellectual impairment.
Stricter
standards that require lower workplace lead levels and better personal
protection will substantially reduce the dangers associated with take-home lead
exposures.
In
addition, since lead released
from bones during pregnancy easily crosses the placenta, children born to lead-exposed
workers are at risk for neurodevelopmental and other adverse
health effects. Better standards will reduce potential fetal lead exposure in
female workers of childbearing age.
Both California and Washington State are
in the process of updating their own occupational lead standards. But, why
should workers in only two states be privileged to improved health protections?
OSHA
standards, which cover all workers across the country, should also be
strengthened to adequately protect workers and their families.
In
the interim, though, enforcement of company compliance with existing federal
regulations is also critical.
A recent blog post from
the U.S. Department of Labor described a case in which OSHA officials responded
to worker complaints and cited a Wisconsin shipyard operator with 19 willful
violations of the lead standard after detecting elevated blood lead levels in
75 percent of employees tested.
The
incident illustrates the importance of maintaining a well-funded OSHA ensuring
it has the resources to monitor adherence to the standards.
However,
a draft bill for fiscal year 2017 suggests that OSHA’s budget
would be cut significantly, which may prevent these enforcement
activities and thus put workers at further risk.
We
have the scientific and medical evidence that documents the harms of elevated
blood lead levels, and we have the technology to reduce occupational lead
exposure.
Now
it is time to take action to put elevated workplace lead exposure behind us by
rapidly adopting a standard that is aligned with CDC’s existing public health
guidance, which classifies blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per deciliter
as elevated.
We
must strengthen OSHA standards for lead and provide sufficient support for the
agency’s enforcement actions. The health of our workers – and their children –
depends on it.
Rachel
Shaffer is a Toxicology PhD Student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational
Health Sciences, School of Public Health at University of Washington Seattle.
Steven Gilbert is Founder and Director of the Institute of Neurotoxicology
& Neurological Disorders (INND) and an affiliate professor in the
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public
Health at University of Washington Seattle.
