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Prevention of lead poisoning in construction workers: A new public health approach
Author(s) -
Vork Kathleen L.,
Hammond S. Katharine,
Sparer Judy,
Cullen Mark R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0274(200103)39:3<243::aid-ajim1012>3.0.co;2-w
Subject(s) - medicine , occupational safety and health , bridge (graph theory) , occupational medicine , public health , lead exposure , environmental health , lead poisoning , construction industry , injury prevention , occupational exposure , poison control , operations management , surgery , engineering , nursing , cats , pathology , psychiatry , construction engineering
Background In 1990, Yale University, the Connecticut Departments of Health Services and of Transportation, the Connecticut Construction Industries Association, and the state's construction trade unions created the Connecticut Road Industry Surveillance Project (CRISP). Methods Data from 90 bridge projects from 1991 to 1995 and approximately 2,000 workers were evaluated. The distribution of peak lead concentrations in the blood for CRISP workers classified into five groups were compared to that from workers outside of Connecticut. Results This demonstration project was instrumental in lowering bridge worker blood lead levels. After 1992, only the painting contract employees experienced peak blood lead levels with ≤2% exceeding 50 μg/dl. Compared to similar workers in other states, Connecticut workers had significantly lower peak blood lead levels. Conclusions Two thousand workers and over 120 contractors benefited directly from CRISP. Two key features of the CRISP model differed from the 1993 OSHA standard: a contract‐specified lead health protection program and a centralized system of medical monitoring. These differences may account for the improved protection observed between the CRISP and non‐Connecticut cohorts. Am. J. Ind. Med. 39:243–253, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.