Injury Illness Prevention Plan - Flipbook - Page 229
Health and Safety Program Manual
Teamwrkx
Construction, Inc.
Issue Date: 10/16/23
Revision Date: 10/16/23
Lead Exposure
Reference: B-4
Surfaces and debris should be kept moist when they are being disturbed. Before sweeping or vacuuming, dust
and debris should be misted with water to reduce airborne dust. Plastic sheeting should also be misted with
water before handling to reduce dust. All retained liquid waste should be poured through a filter cloth to remove
paint chips and other debris prior to disposal. Filtered materials as well as other waste and debris should be
placed in appropriately labeled, 6-mil plastic bags or sealed containers suitable for the transport of lead waste
and stored in a secure area pending disposal in accordance with State and/or local requirement.
HAZARDS
Pure lead (Pb) is a heavy metal at room temperature and pressure and is a basic chemical element. It can
combine with various other substances to form numerous lead compounds.
The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) set by OSHA is 50 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air (50 ug/m(3)),
averaged over an 8-hour workday. No worker shall be exposed to more than 50 μg/m3 of air as a permissible
exposure limit.
Lead can be absorbed by inhalation (breathing) and ingestion (eating). Lead is not absorbed through your skin.
When lead is scattered in the air as a dust, fume or mist it can be inhaled and absorbed through the lungs and
upper respiratory tract. Lead can also be absorbed through the digestive system if swallowed.
Handling food, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or make-up which have lead contamination or handling them with
hands contaminated with lead, will contribute to ingestion.
Some possible locations of lead containing materials are leaded paints, leaded solders, pipes, batteries, circuit
boards, cathode ray tubes, leaded glass, and demolition/salvage materials.
A significant portion of inhaled or ingested lead goes into the blood stream. Once in the blood stream, lead is
circulated throughout the body and stored in various organs and body tissues. Some of this lead is quickly
filtered out of the body and excreted, but some remains in the blood and other tissues. As exposure to lead
continues, the amount stored in the body will increase. Lead stored in body tissues can cause irreversible
damage, first to individual cells, then to organs and whole-body systems.
Short Term Effects of Overexposure to Lead
Lead is a potent, systemic poison. Taken in large enough doses, lead can kill in a matter of days. A condition
affecting the brain called acute encephalopathy may arise which develops quickly to seizures, coma, and death
from cardiorespiratory arrest. There is no sharp dividing line between rapidly developing acute effects of lead,
and chronic effects which take longer to acquire. Lead adversely affects numerous body systems and causes
forms of health impairment and disease which arise after periods of exposure as short as days or if several years.
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