Air and blood lead levels in a battery factory

Blood lead (Pb B) and air lead (Pb A) exposure levels were studied in workers (62) in a battery plant. Thirty-five battery workers had Pb B higher than 60 μg/100ml (OSHA Proposed Biologic Limit Value, (BLV), 1975). Fifty-eight workers had Pb Bs exceeding 40 μg/100 ml (OSHA Proposed BLV, 1978). Average Pb A for 33 battery workers was greater than 100 μg/m3, the newly recommended TWA. Average Pb A of approximately 50 μg/m3, (6 workers), 85 μg/m3 (17 workers), and 190 μg/m3 (10 workers) were associated with virtually identical mean Pb B (55.0, 59.5, and 58.4 μg/100ml). For 10 of 29 battery workers, Pb A less than 100 μg/m3 was associated with Individual Pb B greater than 60 μg/100 ml. At exposure levels of 329 μg/m3 (15 workers), 885 μg/m3 (3 workers), and 1187 μg/m3 (4 workers), associated mean Pb B was 75.2, 76.3, and 90.7 μg/100 ml, respectively. Complaints of fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite were more frequent among 35 workers with Pb B > 60 μg/100 ml compared to 26 workers with Pb B < 60 μg/100 ml (relative risks 1.5, 1.4, 1.9, and 1.9, respectively). The relationship between group Pb A and individual Pb B was expressed by the equation: log Pb B (μg/100 cc) = 1.430 + 0.165 × log Pb A (μg/m3), r = 0.69. Battery factory data do not support the assumption that if Pb A were kept at or below 100 μg/m3, the blood lead levels would be less than 60 μg/100 ml.