Classification of occupations at risk in Thailand for lead exposure using blood lead levels as a biomarker

Abstract

Lead (Pb) exposure is of particular concern because of the ongoing exposure of thousands of workers in industrial plants. Monitoring of Pb exposure among the at-risk workers is recommended and amongst various biomarkers, and it is well-established that blood lead (BPb) determination is utilized for biomonitoring. There are some previous reports on the BPb levels among several at-risk occupations in Thailand; however, there has been no comparison among these occupations with respect to metal levels in the blood. The aim of this study was to correlate at-risk occupations with Pb exposure and BPb levels. In order to compare between occupations, it was not possible to obtain a direct correlation as there are several confounding factors, especially for occupational conditions and lab measurement techniques. In this study, the exposure risk ratio from five previously available reports regarding BPb determination in at-risk occupations in Thailand is presented. Of interest, the high risk occupations are those in which individuals directly inhaled Pb in environmental ambient air. The cutoff median of exposure risk ratio was found to be 12.6 and this may be a useful value in determining whether exposed workers are at high risk in future studies.

Keywords:

• lead
• risk
• occupation