Construction workers’ kids at risk for lead exposure
Children of lead-exposed construction workers have higher blood lead levels than neighborhood control children, according to a study of construction workers in New Jersey. Twenty-six percent of the workers’ children had blood lead levels at or over the action level established by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, compared with only 5% of the control children.1
Construction workers may be exposed to dangerously high levels of lead dust, and employers were only recently required by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Washington, DC, to follow the same lead exposure regulations as general industry. Because of the short-term, transient nature of many construction jobs, proper hygiene programs may not be in place to prevent construction workers from taking lead home on their skin and clothing and in their vehicles.
The researchers suggest that occupational health providers counsel construction workers on the risk to their children and suggest ways to avoid taking the lead dust home with them.
Reference
1. Whelan E. Elevated blood levels in children of construction workers. Am J Public Health 1997; 87:1,349-1,355.
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