Worker Lead Exposures During Renovation of Homes with Lead-Based Paint

Abstract

We evaluated lead exposures among full-time home renovators and part-time volunteers working primarily in pre-1960 homes with lead-based paint. Potentially hazardous lead exposures were measured during two tasks: exterior dry scraping and wet scraping. Maximum exposures were 120 and 63 μg/m³, respectively. Exposures during other tasks, including general repair, weatherization, exterior scraping/painting (mostly applying new paint), window replacement, demolition, and plumbing, were low (range: 0.1 to 16 μg/m³), as were all 13 full-shift personal exposures [geometric mean (GM) = 3.6 μg/m³; range: 0.2 to 12 μg/m³]. Blood lead levels for full-time workers ranged up to 17.5 μg/dl, with a GM of 5.2 μg/dl; the GM for volunteers was 3.2 μg/dl. All of the paint samples collected from work surfaces had detectable amounts of lead (GM = 1.05%), with 65 percent (32) of the work surfaces tested having an average lead concentration of >0.5 percent. Paired sampling results indicate that chemical spot test kits, when used by industrial hygienists, are highly sensitive (100% positive) in screening for high levels (≥9%) of lead in painted work surfaces, and somewhat less so (88% positive) for lower lead levels (>0.5%). Mean paint lead concentrations were well correlated with mean worker exposures during renovation, both by house (r = 0.875) and by work surface (r = 0.898). Average surface lead loadings measured on floors in homes undergoing renovation (2045 μg/ft²) and in full-time workers' vehicles (GM = 310 μg/ft²) were potentially hazardous to young children.