Lead Awareness for
Non Lead-workers
Sonoma State University
Department of Environmental Health & Safety
INTRODUCTION
What is Lead?
 Heavy metal at room
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temperature
Bluish-gray
Low melting point
Pliable
Corrosion resistant
Can form lead compounds
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In what products was lead commonly used?
 Gasoline (phase-out began
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1980)
Smelting
Lead batteries (25-78% of
all lead used in U.S.)
Paints and coatings
Solder
Auto manufacturing
Printing
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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.
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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!!!
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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
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Where could I find lead on campus?
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Buildings on Campus & Year Built
Building
Date Built
Art Complex
1967
Physical Education
1969
Darwin Hall
1967
Rachel Carson Hall
1975
Nichols
1975
Schulz
2000
Boiler (Central) Plant
1967
Ives Hall
1967
Stevenson Hall
1967
Person Theatre
1989
Last Renovated
2004
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Buildings on Campus & Year Built
Building
Date Built
Renovated
Salazar Hall
1969
2000
International Hall
1976
2014
Commons
1968
Housing
Cabernet
1972
Zinfandel
1972
Verdot
1972
Sauvignon
1999
Beauojolais
2003
Tuscany
2012
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HEALTH HAZARDS
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.
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Health Effects
 Lead which is inhaled or ingested gets into the
bloodstream.
 Can be circulated throughout your body.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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CONFIRM
PRESENCE/
NON-PRESENCE OF
LEAD CONTAINING
MATERIALS
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.
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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
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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.
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Lead Poisoning Prevention
(For the Non-Lead Worker)
 Minimizing exposure to lead is the key to minimizing
health effects
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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).
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Questions?
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