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Severe lead poisoning in the plastics industry: A report of three cases
Author(s) -
Coyle Patricia,
Kosnett Michael J.,
Hipkins Karen
Publication year - 2005
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/ajim.20123
Subject(s) - medicine , lead poisoning , lead (geology) , surgery , toxicology , biology , geomorphology , psychiatry , geology
Background Lead stabilizers (e.g., lead sulfate, lead stearate) are common additives in plastics used in electrical devices. In 1997, three plastics compounders at one California company were severely lead‐poisoned. Methods The poisonings were investigated by interviewing the workers, employer, and treating physician and reviewing medical records and environmental monitoring results. In addition to measuring blood lead levels (BLLs), noninvasive K X‐ray fluorescence was used to measure bone lead concentration of the index case. Results Blood lead concentrations of the three workers at time of diagnosis were 159, 114, and 108 μg/dl. The worker with highest exposure presented with clinical findings of crampy abdominal pain, constipation, normocytic anemia, fatigue, and reversible azotemia. Bone lead concentration in his tibia, calcaneous, and patella were 102, 219, and 182 ppm, respectively. The poisonings resulted from uncontrolled use of powdered lead sulfate stabilizer. Conclusion Clinicians should be aware of potential serious overexposure to lead in compounding of plastics. Am. J. Ind. Med. 47:172–175, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.