Lead exposure in starter battery production: investigation of the correlation between air lead and blood lead levels

✍ Scribed by Michael Kentner; Thomas Fischer

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 542 KB
• Volume: 66
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0340-0131
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00454359

✦ Synopsis

The threshold limit value (TLV) for lead (in Germany, the MAK value) is based on a certain blood lead concentration (in Germany BAT value = biological tolerance value for working materials) that is not to be exceeded; thereby a statistically significant association between air lead (Pb A) and blood lead (Pb B) is assumed On the basis of a 10-year period of (1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991) biological and ambient monitoring of 134 battery factory staff and their workplaces, a Pb A/Pb B correlation with the regression equation Pb B = 62 183 + 21 242 x Log 10 (Pb A) (n = 1089, r = 0 274, P < 0 001) was calculated These results are in line with those of several other investigations The shape of the regression curve and the wide scattering of values led to the assumption that Pb A values above the MAK value ( 0 1 mg/m 3 ) do not necessarily result in increased Pb B values Similarly, Pb A values lower than the MAK value do not guarantee Pb B levels below the BAT value in every case These observations are influenced by numerous confounders and intervening variables It is concluded that lowering MAK values as a consequence of lowering BAT values is not mandatory.