Workers, lead children

Health workers can find out whether a child may have been exposed to harmful levels of lead by taking a blood sample. They can also find out how much lead is in a child s bones by taking a special type of X-ray of the finger, knee, or elbow. This, however, is not a routine type of test. 

In 1998 a Californian (MMWR, 2001) mother requested a blood lead level determination for her 18-month-old child. The result was a blood lead level (BLL) of 26 LLg/dl, which was well above the Center for Disease Control s (CDC) recommended criterion for clinical case management. It was subsequently found that the father had a BLL of 46 ( lg/dl, which was above the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirement that workers with BLLs greater than 40 lg/dl receive additional medical examinations. Further testing found that his 4-month-old daughter had a BLL of 24 Rg/dl. This worker was employed in a company that refinished antique furniture, some of which was covered with lead-based paint. Subsequent testing of co-workers found that two refinishers had BLLs of 29 and 54 Rg/dl and four carpenters had BLLs of 46, 46, 47, and 56 ( lg/dl. A child in another family had a BLL of 16 ( lg/dl. What will be the long-term effects on the intellectual abilities of these children ... 

Dr. Theo Colborn is a scientist and one of the world s leading experts on endocrine disrupters. Her work has prompted the enactment of new laws around the world (including Senate Bill 5 1391.-"Child, Worker, and Consumer-Safe Chemicals Act of 2005") and redirected the research of government and academia. She s a professor of zoology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and the coauthor of Our Stolen Future. 

For lead workers periodic medical examination is a statutory requirement. Blood samples should be taken as required for haemoglobin and lead. Lead level in normal blood is about 20/u.g/lOOml but for lead workers can be 40-60/i,g/100ml. The acceptable upper limit of blood lead concentration in adults is 70 ig/100ml except men who have worked in lead for many years. For women of child-bearing age the limit is 40/ig/100ml. 

The NHANES 2004 PbB survey was accompanied by household dust Pb sampling and the relationships between blood lead and household dust Pb analyzed through various statistical methods (Dixon et al., 2009 Gaitens et al., 2009). There was a statistical association of PbB to floor dust Pb. Child age and other child/family variables as well as year of house construction and window sill and floor Pb were significant predictors of PbB. These workers also calculated via logistic regression analyses that up to 5% of children in homes with floor dust Pb at 12 pg/ft would have a PbB >10 pg/dl. 

Illustrative cases from studies of Pb immunotoxicity in lead workers are also given in Table 18.5. As with the child cohorts, they are an international representation of effects the United States, Turkey, Korea, and Japan. As with the child cohorts, endpoints quantified with regard to Pb immunotoxicity mainly consisted of relative abundances of lymphocyte subsets of cells. Pb exposure intensities ranged considerably across the worker cohorts, while all were considerably above exposures seen with children. In general, Pb workers had reductions in abundances of T cells, e.g., Kuo et al. (2001), Bagaran and Undeger (2000), Fischbein et al. (1993), Sata et al. (1998), while Pinkerton et al. (1998) noted increased abundances in T-memory cells and no changes in T, T-helper, or cytotoxic T cells. 

Whichever happens, arrange a meeting with all involved to plan delivery and discharge. Include the midwife, pharmacist, perinatal psychiatry representative. Children and Families social worker Child Safeguarding Lead. Address ... 

In any work situation there will be some people who are more vulnerable to certain risks than others, e.g. where such workers may be exposed to toxic substances, to small levels of radiation, or to dangerous metals, such as lead. T)qjical examples of vulnerable groups are young persons who, through their lack of experience, may be unaware of hazards pregnant women, where there may be a specific risk to the unborn child and disabled persons, whose capacity to xmdertake certain tasks may be limited. In a number of cases there may be a need for continuing medical and/or health surveillance of such persons. 

Internally, the school may wish to identify a key worker who is responsible for pulling together all support for a particular child. This is up to the school and not the role of the lead professional, which is a statutory, multi-agency funaion. A key worker can be identified by the Inclusion Panel as the most appropriate person within the school to ensure effective delivery of services for that pupil. The role is accountable to the inclusion manager and inclusion panel. 

Dolcourt, ]., Hamrick, H., OTuama, L., Wooten, J. and Baker, E.L. (1978) Increased lead burden in children of battery workers. Pediatrics, 62, 563-571 Ediger, R.D. and Coleman, R.L. (1972) Modified Delves cup atomic absorption procedure for determination of lead in blood. Atomic Absorpting Newsletter, 11, 33 Elardo, R., Bradley, R. and Caldwell, B.M. (1975) The relation of infants home environments to mental test performance from six to thirty-six months a longitudinal analysis. Child Dev., 46, 71-76... 

After several families of victims sued Consolidation, the company s president asked its lead attorney whether it would not be cheaper and safer to keep a stiff upper lip and fight it out—than to do anything more than charity requires. Consolidation paid for the dead miners funeral expenses and provided compensation of 150 for each widow and 75 for every child of a dead miner under the age of 16. Since the state and federal courts of the era did not award compensation for accidents attributable to the negligence of the plaintiff or any of his fellow workers, that was essentially the end of the matter. The lawsuits were either dismissed or settled for small sums. Within two months, the mine was back in operation and the victims families were persona non grata in the company town. ... 

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