Lead Awareness for Non Lead-workers

1. Lead Awareness for Non Lead-workers Sonoma State University Department of Environmental Health & Safety

2. INTRODUCTION

3. What is Lead? • Heavy metal at room temperature • Bluish-gray • Low melting point • Pliable • Corrosion resistant • Can form lead compounds

4. In what products was lead commonly used? • Gasoline (phase-out began 1980) • Smelting • Lead batteries (25-78% of all lead used in U.S.) • Paints and coatings • Solder • Auto manufacturing • Printing

5. History • Late 1950’s – Paint manufacturers started to voluntarily reduce lead content in most paint for residential use. • 1978 – Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) limits paint for residential use to 600 ppm (essentially, lead-free paint). • However, lead paint for non-residential use is still sold.

6. So where is lead paint found? • Homes built before 1950 • Everywhere – inside and outside (all coatings) • Homes built between 1950-1960 • Probably outside, may be inside • Trims, doors, windows, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. • Homes built between 1960-1978 • May be outside, less likely inside ***Before 1978 we assume lead!!!

7. What is “lead paint” • EPA/HUD/DHS Definition 1.0 mg/cm2 5000 ppm 0.5% • California Definition 1.0 mg/cm2 or 0.5% lead by weight • OSHA and Cal OSHA Definition Any detectable amount

8. Where could I find lead on campus?

9. Buildings on Campus & Year Built

10. Buildings on Campus & Year Built

11. HEALTH HAZARDS

12. Ways in which lead enters the body • Inhalation - Breathing lead fumes or dust. This is the most common route of entry in the workplace. • Ingestion - Swallowing lead dust via food, cigarettes etc.

13. Health Effects • Lead which is inhaled or ingested gets into the bloodstream. • Can be circulated throughout your body.

14. Health Effects • Some is excreted while some remains in organs and body tissues. • If exposure continues, the amount stored in your body will increase if you are absorbing more lead than your body is excreting.

15. Chronic Health Effects During prolonged chronic exposure, many body systems can be affected by lead, including: • Brain • Kidneys • Muscles • Bones • Blood forming organs • Reproductive systems 

16. Chronic Health Effects(Resulting from High Lead Exposure and Absorption Into Body) • Severe damage to blood forming, nervous, urinary and reproductive systems • Loss of appetite, metallic taste in the mouth, anxiety, constipation, nausea, pallor, excessive tiredness, weakness, insomnia, headache, nervous irritability, muscle and joint pain or soreness, fine tremors, numbness, dizziness, hyperactivity and colic (with severe abdominal pain) • Person is easily irritated and may become aggressive

17. Chronic Health Effects • Reproductive systems of both men and women may be affected • Decreased sex drive, impotence and sterility in men • Miscarriage and stillbirth in women whose husbands were exposed to lead or where they were exposed

18. Chronic Health Effects • Children born of parents who were exposed to excessive lead are more likely to have birth defects, mental retardation, behavioral disorders or die during the first year of childhood

19. Other Chronic Health Effects Hypertension • Lead exposure has been consistently associated with increases in blood pressure in studies conducted in both workers and the general population. • Blood lead levels of less than 20 μg/dL sometimes are associated with increases in blood pressure.

20. Other Chronic Health Effects Decreased kidney function • Low to moderate levels of lead exposure also have been associated with adverse changes in kidney function. • This association may be even worse in people who have other risk factors for kidney disease, such as hypertension or diabetes.

21. Acute Health Effects • Acute health effects only appear when worker is exposed to extremely high amounts of lead • Acute encephalopathy (disorder or disease of the brain) may develop quickly followed by seizures, coma and death from cardio-respiratory arrest • Again, highly unusual, but not impossible

22. CONFIRM PRESENCE/NON-PRESENCE OF LEAD CONTAINING MATERIALS

23. Lead Identification • Department personnel should contact the Department of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) prior to the disturbance of painted surfaces unless it is known with certainty, either through documentation or testing, that the surface does not contain lead.

24. What to Know as a Bldg Occupant • If building becomes damaged (floor, walls, ceiling, or components appear damaged) • Damage includes, holes in surfaces, peeling paint, broken floor tiles, contact surfaces degrading • If you want to modify anything on the building including hang a picture, connect or disconnect anything to or from structure, place a work order • Telephone 4-2308 • Email seawolf.servicecenter@sonoma.edu

25. Conclusions • Buildings are maintained to minimize potential for lead containing or other potentially hazardous materials to become airborne • Processes described earlier help ensure necessary activities can be safely conducted by occupants or trained staff as previously defined.

26. Lead Poisoning Prevention(For the Non-Lead Worker) • Minimizing exposure to lead is the key to minimizing health effects

27. Could I find lead outside of campus? • If your home was built before 1978, it may contain lead based paint.  • Hobbies: stained glass, home remodeling or painting, recreational target shooting, melting lead for fishing weights, lead glaze in ceramics. • Non-occupational exposures: backyard scrap metal recycling, leaded crystal tableware, pewter, cookware, folk remedies, pica, mine tailings, beauty products (eye make up, certain hair dyes).

28. Questions?