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KMID : 0606019990050010049
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Soonchunhyang Journal of Industrial Medicine
1999 Volume.5 No. 1 p.49 ~ p.65
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The Current Status of Lead Exposure Level of Lead Workers in Korea
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Cho In-Sook
Kim Yong-Bae
Lee Gap-Soo
Kim Hwa-Sung
Hwang Kyu-Yoon
Jang Bong-Ki
Lee Sung-Soo
Ahn Kyu-Dong
Lee Byung-Kook
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Abstract
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To assess lead exposure in Korean lead workers, 2047 male lead workers in 17 lead using industries were studied. Study population were divided into 4 occupation categories such as storage battery industry(type 1), secondary smelting and litharge making industries(type 2), PVC stabilizer making industries(type 3) and primary smelting and related industries (type 4).
Blood lead and zinc protoporphyrin in whole blood (ZPP) were selected as an index of lead exposure. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were also checked. 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 as follows.
1) The mean blood lead, ZPP and hemoglobin of all lead workers were 29.7+12.6㎍/100㎖, 56.5+38.6㎍/100㎖ and 14.6+1.3 gm/100㎖ respectively.
2) While the mean blood lead of lead workers in type 1, 2, 3 and 4 were 28.6+11.6㎍/100㎖, 46.2+15.3 ㎍/100㎖, 46.8+12.1 ㎍/100㎖ and 26.2+10.2 ㎍/100㎖, the mean value of blood ZPP of those workers were 53.6+32.6 ㎍/100㎖, 108.1+87.1 ㎍/100㎖, 98.9 +54.9 ㎍/100㎖ and 45.8+19.5 ㎍/100㎖ respectively.
3) The percents of lead workers whose blood lead were 40-59.9 ㎍/100㎖ and over 60.0 ㎍/100㎖ were 17.6% and 2.1% respectively. Those whose blood lead were 40-59.9 ㎍/100㎖ and over 60.0 ㎍/100㎖ were 15.18% and 0.96% for type 1, 43.59% and 21.79% for type 2, 58.89% and 12.22% for type 3 and 11.82% and 0% for type 4 respectively.
4) The percents of lead workers whose blood ZPP were 100-149 ㎍/100㎖ and over 150 ㎍/100㎖ were 5.17% and 3.17% respectively. Those whose blood ZPP were 100-149 ㎍/100㎖ and over 150 ㎍/100㎖ were 4.66% and 2.04% for type 1, 10.26% and 25.64% for type 2, 23.33 and 13.33% for type 3 and 1.28% and 0.32% for type 4 respectively.
5) The prevalence rate of smoking and drinking of male lead workers in all lead industries were 70.8% and 71.0% respectively. While the mean blood lead of smoker, non-smoker, drinker and non-drinker were 30.24+12.58 ㎍/100㎖, 28.35+12.7 ㎍/100㎖, 30.24 ㎍/100㎖ and 28.74 ㎍/100㎖ respectively, the mean blood ZPP of those were 55.7+37.1 ㎍/100㎖, 58.4+41.9 ㎍/100㎖, 55.7+36.5 ㎍/100㎖ and 58.4+43.3 ㎍/100㎖ respectively.
6) While the correlation of hematocrit corrected blood lead with other lead exposure variables were higher than non-corrected blood lead, the correlation of log-transformed ZPP with other lead exposure variables were higher than non-corrected blood ZPP.
7) The most frequent symptom among 15 lead related symptom questionnaires was ’general fatigue’ and the next one was ’feeling irritated with disturbance’ and least one was ’acute abdominal pain around the umbilicus’ in all lead workers. The overall prevalence of lead workers in storage battery industry and primary lead smelting industry were higher than secondary lead smelting and PVC stabilizer making industries.
8) The prevalence of lead related symptoms was a little higher in 13 symptoms in smokers than non-smokers and in 14 symptoms in drinker than non-drinkers, but they were not statistically significant.
9) Stepwise multiple regression analysis, using overall symptom prevalence as a dependent variable blood lead, blood ZPP, hemoglobin, age, work duration, drinking and smoking habits as independent variables, indicated that smoking habit, drinking habit and age were significantly contributed to the dependent variable.
10) The slopes of simple linear regression of blood lead (independent variable) with blood ZPP and log-transformed ZPP as dependent variable were different among 4 types of lead industries. The slope of lead industries with low mean blood lead were less steeper than those with high mean blood lead.
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KEYWORD
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Zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP), Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Blood lead, Lead workers
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