Injury Illness Prevention Plan - Flipbook - Page 230
Health and Safety Program Manual
Teamwrkx
Construction, Inc.
Issue Date: 10/16/23
Revision Date: 10/16/23
Lead Exposure
Reference: B-4
Common symptoms of acute lead poisoning are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps,
constipation, difficulty in sleeping, fatigue, moodiness, headache, joint or muscle aches, and anemia. Long term
(chronic) overexposure to lead may result in severe damage to the blood forming, nervous, urinary, and
reproductive systems.
Long term Effects of Overexposure to Lead
Chronic overexposure to lead may result in severe damage to blood-forming, nervous, urinary, and reproductive
systems.
Some common symptoms of chronic overexposure include loss of appetite, metallic taste in the mouth, anxiety,
constipation, nausea, pallor, excessive tiredness, weakness, insomnia, headache, nervous irritability, muscle and
joint pain or soreness, fine tremors, numbness, dizziness, hyperactivity, and colic. In lead colic there may be
severe abdominal pain.
Reproductive Risks
Lead is toxic to both male and female reproductive systems. Lead can alter the structure of sperm cells and
there is evidence of miscarriage and stillbirth in women exposed to lead or whose partners have been exposed.
Children born to parents who were exposed to excess lead levels are more likely to have birth defects, mental
retardation, or behavioral disorders or to die during the first year of childhood.
Workers who desire medical advice about reproductive issues related to lead should contact qualified medical
personnel to arrange for a job evaluation and medical follow up particularly if they are pregnant or actively
seeking to have a child. Workers who may be exposed to lead and who have been contacted by workers with
concerns about reproductive issues must make medical examinations and consultations available.
Chelating Agents
Under certain limited circumstances, a physician may prescribe special drugs called chelating agents to reduce
the amount of lead absorbed in body tissues. Using chelation as a preventive measure, to lower blood level but
continue to expose a worker is prohibited. Therapeutic or diagnostic chelation’s of lead that are required must
be done under the supervision of a licensed physician in a clinical setting, with thorough and appropriate medical
monitoring. The worker must be notified in writing before treatment of potential consequences and allowed to
obtain a second opinion.
EXPOSURE LIMITS
The standard establishes maximum limits of exposure to lead for all workers covered, including a permissible
exposure limit (PEL) and action level (AL). The PEL sets the maximum worker exposure to lead: 50 micrograms
of lead per cubic meter of air (50μg/m3) averaged over an 8-hour period.
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