Occupational Lead Exposure of Storage Battery Industry Workers in Korea

Kang, Pil Kyu; Kim, Yong Bae; Ahn, Ik Soo; Lee, Jong Kyu; Han, Ku Seok; Kim, Hwa Sung; Hwang, Kyu Yoon; Lee, Gap Soo; Ahn, Kyu Dong; Lee, Byung Kook

Abstract

In order to investigate the level of lead absorption of lead workers and to evaluate the effect of blood lead on blood zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) and prevalence of lead related symptoms, 1,782 lead workers(male: 1,506, female: 276) from 8 storage battery industries were studied. Selected variables as indices of lead exposure were blood lead, blood ZPP, and hemoglobin (HB). Fifteen questionnaires of lead related symptoms were provided to all lead workers and filled up by themselves and confirmed by medical doctors. Personal variables such as age, work duration, smoking and drinking habits were also collected. The results were follows : 1. While the mean blood lead of lead workers of all lead companies was 31.0+/-3.0 ug/100ml (male: 31.5+/-2.9 ug/100ml, female: 27.9+/-3.3 ug/100m1), the mean blood ZPP of all lead workers was 66.7+/-4.1 ug/100ml (male: 59.6+/-3.3, female: 105.3+/-3.0 ug/100ml). The mean hemoglobin of male lead workers was 15.7+/-.3 gm/100ml and that of female lead workers was 13.0+/-.3 gm/100ml. 2. The percentage of lead workers whose blood lead was over 60.0 ug/100m1 and 40.0-59.9 ug/100ml was 2.81 % and 19.08 %, respectively. On the other hand, the percentage of lead workers whose blood ZPP was over 150 ug/100ml and 100-149 ug/100ml was 5.89 % and 8.31 %, respectively. 3. The slopes of simple linear regression of blood lead (independent variable) and blood ZPP in female lead workers was significantly steeper than that of male lead workers. The slope of storage battery industries with better working condition in terms of low air concentration of lead were less steeper than those with poor working condition with high mean air concentration of lead. 4. Stepwise multiple regression analysis, using overall symptom prevalence as a dependent variables, blood lead, blood ZPP, hemoglobin, age, work duration, drinking and smoking habits as independent variables, indicated that only drinking habit and age were significantly contributed to the dependent variable.