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March 14th
Jonathan lifts ban on mining in Zamfara after lead poisoning: Gusau (WorldStage Newsonline)-- President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday announced the immediate lifting of the temporary ban on mining of solid minerals in Zamfara State and assured the people that the Federal Government will invest more in solid minerals development if given the mandate to direct the affairs f the nation in the coming April 2011 presidential election....more... |
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March 14th
State pledges to restore, keep lead poisoning records: A lawyer for the state health department pledged Monday in Baltimore Circuit Court to retrieve and safeguard records of Maryland children tested for lead poisoning, resolving a complaint by lawyers for poisoned children over the agency's recent destruction of thousands of paper records of those tests. Matthew Fader, assistant attorney general representing the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, told Judge Pamela J. White that he had reached an agreement with lawyers bringing lawsuits on behalf of lead-poisoned children to keep all remaining paper test results and to try to restore electronic records that had also been deleted...more... |
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March 13th
Maryland lab destroys documentation on lead poisoning of children: Maryland's health secretary said Friday that his department's laboratory has destroyed test results dating to the 1980s documenting lead poisoning of Maryland children - potentially thousands of records that plaintiffs' lawyers say are crucial to pursuing lawsuits seeking damages on behalf of poisoned children and their families. Joshua Sharfstein said he has asked for an investigation of how the destruction of records happened, replaced the lab's director and ordered that efforts be made to recover whatever test results might have been deleted from state computer files. "We regret this, and we're going to do everything possible to make it right," Sharfstein said in a phone interview. Doctors and health clinics have been required since the 1980s to report to the state health department results of tests showing that children had elevated levels of lead in their blood. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that can cause lasting learning and behavioral problems in even tiny doses...more... |
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March 10th 2011
Lead poisoning is theme of legislative hearing in New Orleans: Legislators heard both good news and bad. On the one hand, they were told, reported levels of lead poisoning decreased sharply in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. On the other hand, despite legal requirements, many pediatricians are not making sure that their young patients are tested for lead, and the city is doing little to enforce a law requiring homeowners and contractors to take safety precautions when removing lead-based paint...more... |
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March 7th 2011
Lead poisoning kills 400 more Nigerian children: Reuters - Lead poisoning linked with illegal gold mining has killed a further 400 children in northern Nigeria since November, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Monday. The latest figures suggest the death toll from the crisis in the northern state of Zamfara is rising after the United Nations said lead poisoning in the region had killed at least 400 children between March and October last year...more... |
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March 2nd 2011
OSHA cites E.N. Range for exposing workers to lead hazards at outdoor gun range: in Oley, Pa., among other violations Violations carry more than $201,000 in proposed penalties. OLEY, Pa. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Miami, Fla.-based E.N. Range Inc. for exposing workers to dangerously high levels of lead while removing lead pellets at an outdoor gun range in Oley. Proposed penalties total $201,600. OSHA initiated an inspection in response to a complaint alleging the lead hazards as well as deficiencies in the company's respiratory protection program. As a result of the inspection, three willful citations were issued with penalties of $168,000 and 11 serious citations were issued with penalties of $33,600...more... |
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February 22nd 2011
China plans to rein in heavy metal pollution: China's environmental protection agency has vowed to curb heavy metal pollution in a bid to cut widespread industrial contaminants like lead that have poisoned children and sparked protests. The world's top consumer and producer of lead, China has struggled to rein in polluting industry under lax environmental regulations as the country's economy grows rapidly. Lead-poisoning, especially in children, has roused public anger...more... |
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January 27th 2011
OSHA fines Meridian, Miss., textile company more than $46,000 for safety and health hazards: MERIDIAN, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Roytex Inc. in Meridian with 18 serious safety and health violations for exposing workers to electrical hazards, flaking lead paint, asbestos and other hazards. Proposed fines total $46,340.Following a safety inspection, OSHA has cited Roytex for 14 serious violations with a proposed penalty of $33,740...more... |
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January 18th 2011
OSHA fines Binghamton, NY,demolition contractor $52,500 for fall and lead hazards: SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited MJ Scoville Inc., a Binghamton, N.Y., demolition contractor, for nine willful and serious violations of workplace safety and health standards at a building renovation site at 83 Court St. in Binghamton. The contractor faces a total of $52,500 in proposed fines, chiefly for fall and lead hazards. OSHA's inspection found Scoville employees exposed to falls of up to 40 feet while working without fall protection...more... |
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January 11 2011
OSHA cites Miami business for deliberately failing to protect employees from lead exposure: Lead Enterprises Inc. issued 32 citations, more than $307,000 in penalties. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations to Lead Enterprises Inc. in Miami, Fla., alleging that the company knowingly neglected to protect employees from lead exposure. The company is being cited with 32 safety and health violations, and $307,200 in total proposed penalties."This company was well aware of what it needed to do to protect its workers from a well-known hazard but failed to provide that protection," ...more... |
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January 7th 2011
Nigeria Lead Poisoning kills 400 children: Lead poisoning outbreak remains a threat: LAGOS, Nigeria – A lead poisoning outbreak that has killed more than 400 children in the rural farmlands of northern Nigeria remains "a neglected, underfunded emergency," the U.N. warned Friday, saying many villages remain coated with the deadly metal. In a report, U.N. officials said the outbreak in Zamfara state that began in March remains an "alarming, continuing health risk" for an unknown number of villages. The report released Friday also said that one of the two villages already decontaminated now shows new traces of lead and mercury — a sign the desperately poor in the remote area have again begun mining and processing the gold ore with lead deposits that started the crisis...more... |
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November 10th 2010
OSHA cites Fortune Plastic and Metal Texas in Dallas for allegedly exposing workers to lead poisoning: DALLAS – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Fortune Plastic and Metal Texas LLC with six alleged serious and six alleged repeat violations following a safety and health inspection at the company's work site in Dallas. Proposed penalties total $125,000."This company should have implemented engineering and work practice controls to prevent workers from being exposed to lead poisoning," said Stephen Boyd, OSHA's area director in Dallas. "OSHA's standards must be followed to prevent injuries and fatalities."...more... |
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November 31st 2010
Health Link BC Lead Based Hazards: Lead-based paint was commonly used in homes built before 1960. Since then, scientists have found that even low levels of exposure to lead can be harmful to children’s health and development.Removing paint as part of a renovation project may expose you and your family to lead. Before you begin renovations, consider the following information in order to minimize the health risks to you and your family...more... |
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September 20th 2010
OSHA fines Chicago Heights, Ill., iron and metal recycler more than $135,000 for exposing workers to lead and other hazards: CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited metals recycler Gaby Iron and Metal Co. in Chicago Heights with 17 alleged health and safety violations, including allowing workers to exceed allowable exposure limits to lead and failing to require respirators to be worn. Lead can cause brain damage, paralysis, kidney disease and even death. The citations carry total penalties of $135,850...more... |
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September 2nd 2010
OSHA cites Blandon, Pa., brass foundry$550,400 for exposing workers to lead and other workplace hazards: BLANDON, Pa. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations to Kief Industries Inc., doing business as Excelsior Brass Works. The citations allege the company knowingly exposed workers to lead hazards and violated federal workplace safety and health standards at its Blandon facility. Proposed penalties total $550,400. "The employer deliberately refused to protect workers from overexposure to lead and other workplace hazards...more... |
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August 23rd 2010
OSHA cites E.N. Range Inc. in Miami, Fla.,more than $2 million for exposing workers to lead and other hazards: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued citations to E.N. Range Inc. in Miami, Fla., alleging the company knowingly neglected to protect employees who clean gun ranges from serious overexposure to lead. It also provided, without medical supervision, non-FDA-approved treatments for lead exposure. The company was cited for more than 50 violations of the lead standard and others, with total proposed penalties of $2,099,600."This company was well aware of what it needed to do to protect its workers from a well known hazard...more... |
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April 29th 2010
OSHA proposes more than $130,000 in penalties against Chicago-based ERA Valdivia Contractors Inc. for health violations: CHICAGO — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited ERA Valdivia Contractors Inc., an industrial painting and sandblasting company in Chicago, with $130,300 in proposed penalties for exposing workers to dangerous lead materials. Based on a November 2009 inspection, OSHA has cited the company with two willful violations and a proposed $112,000 penalty for failing to provide adequate personal protective equipment to employees working in and around lead...more... |
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April 27th 2010
Battery Recycling brings Lead Poisoning in El Salvador: "IN THIS PLACE THERE ARE 33,000 TONS OF ASHES AND TOXIC SLAG. THEREFORE WE DEMAND (THE DECLARATION OF AN) ENVIRONMENTAL EMERGENCY”. It is from the huge pile that the heavy metals and toxins seeped into the soil and further into the ground water. To make matters worse, there was also lead and other poisons coming out of the plant smoke stack. The community was inundated with lead and other toxins. It was in their drinking water, in the fruit and vegetables grown on the contaminated land. They were breathing it in with every breath. Since lead poisoning attacks the nervous system, it wasn't long before they started to see problems with the kids at school; behavior issues, headaches, inability to concentrate and complaints of aching bones....more... |
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April 8th 2010
Blood lead levels tied to timing of puberty in boys:New York - Boys with relatively elevated levels of lead in their blood may start puberty later than their peers with less lead exposure, a new study suggests. The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, add to concerns about the potential health effects of even moderately elevated lead levels. Lead is a toxic metal that is present in the air, soil and water, though public health efforts in recent decades to reduce environmental levels -- by taking lead out of gasoline and paints, for example -- have cut lead exposure in the U.S. and other countries...more... |
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March 22nd 2010
19 hospitalized in lead poisoning case: BEIJING - The latest lead poisoning case in Central China's Hunan province has left 19 villagers hospitalized after some of them complained of abdominal pains early this month. This is the second case involving poisoning from lead pollution in Hunan within seven months. The 19 diagnosed with lead poisoning are undergoing treatment in the Chenzhou Hospital of Chinese Medicine in Chenzhou, a southern city in Hunan, Xinhua News Agency reported...more... |
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January 6th 2010
Lead poisoning cases 2009: Qingyuan, Guangdong province Twenty-five children were confirmed to have excessive levels of lead in their blood due to pollution from a nearby storage battery company in the Qingyuan Economic Development Zone. A few adults were also diagnosed with abnormally high lead levels....more... |
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November 2009
How people are exposed to lead: People can be exposed to small amounts of lead by breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or swallowing dust or dirt that contains lead. For adults, the diet is the source of most general low-level environmental exposure to lead. Children can be exposed to more lead than adults. Children are commonly exposed to lead from hand-to-mouth activities involving contaminated dust and soils around older homes that contain lead-based paint or from eating paint chips that contain lead. Less common sources of lead exposure include folk medicines, cosmetics, ceramic and metal cookware, unusual clay-eating behaviors, and imported toys. Workers may be exposed in industries that involve lead, such as smelting and battery manufacturing. Workers can also secondarily expose household members by bringing lead home on their clothes...more... |
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August 31st 2009
China reports new lead poisoning case: (Reuters) - More than 200 children living beside an industrial park in southwest China have been found to have excessive lead in their blood, state media said on Monday, in the third such case reported in the last month. Health authorities tested around 1,000 children in a neighborhood of the city of Kunming, the official China Daily said. "Their levels are all higher than 100 micrograms of lead in each liter of blood but lower than 200 micrograms per liter," the newspaper quoted a medical doctor, Wu Ling, as saying. Lead poisoning...more... |
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November 2007
Business Social Responsibility: Poisoned by Lead and Vested Interests: The case of Baterías de El Salvador, SA de CV, which has been poisoning thousands of people with lead for years, has put the much-touted “business responsibility” strategy on the stand. While some business people are surely concerned about “their” workers and the planet, we can’t let workers and communities, much less the planet, depend on their good will. It’s up to the state and governments to guarantee their population’s welfare...more... |
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November 2006
Everyone absorbs some lead from the food they eat and the air they breathe. However, if you are exposed to lead at work, it is more likely that you will have higher levels of lead in your body than the general public. There are two types of lead, organic and inorganic. Organic lead is less common and has different properties and health effects than inorganic lead. In British Columbia, exposure to organic lead is no longer a concern because of the elimination of leaded gasoline. This booklet only discusses inorganic lead exposure in the workplace...more... |
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Exposure to lead: can cause reproductive effects in both men and women, resulting in damaged or unhealthy sperm, sterility, miscarriages, birth defects, and stillbirths. An unborn child can be affected if a pregnant woman is exposed to lead. Lead poisoning is usually a slow process,often taking place over months or years. Lead can build up in your body and stay there for a long time. With a very high exposure, lead poisoning can create a serious emergency, even within one work-shift...more... |
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Exposición de Plomo en el Trabajo: El plomo es un metal blando, gris-azuloso, que se encuentra en pequeñas cantidades en todas partes del ambiente. El plomo se puede combinar con varias otras sustancias para formar numerosos compuestos de plomo. Algunos empleos de hoy que usan plomo incluyen la fabricación de municiones, baterías, compuestos químicos, explosivos, cristalería, y productos metálicos. Para prevenir la herrumbre y la corrosión, el plomo también es usado en contenedores, tubos, y en la pintura que se usa en la mayoría de los puentes de acero....more... |
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December 2003
Lead and your health: What are the Health Effects of Lead in Adults? Lead can increase blood pressure and cause fertility problems, nerve disorders, muscle and joint pain, irritability, and memory or concentration problems. It takes a significantly greater level of exposure to lead for adults than it does for kids to sustain adverse health effects. Most adults who are lead poisoned get exposed to lead at work. Occupations related to welding, renovation and remodeling activities, smelters, firing ranges, the manufacture and disposal of car batteries, and the maintenance and repair of bridges and water towers, are particularly at risk for lead exposure...more... |
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September 2000
How to avoid lead poisoning in bridge work: Lead-based paint has been used for years on thousands of bridges and steel structures to protect them from corrosion and the harmful effects of weather. Many of these structures are in need of repair due to normal wear or lapses in regular maintenance. During repair and demolition projects, iron workers, laborers, painters, and other construction workers can be exposed to high levels of lead. In fact, in the last two years, workers involved in bridge repair had more high blood lead levels reported to Washington State’s occupational lead exposure registry than any other industry. This pamphlet will help you reduce your lead exposure at work and prevent exposure of your family members to this toxic metal...more... |
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February 2003
Health Canada Lead based paint: Lead Poisoning: People have known for a long time that exposure to lead is dangerous. Lead poisoning can cause anemia. It can also damage the brain and nervous system, resulting in learning disabilities. The risks are greater for children than for adults, because children’s growing bodies re able to absorb lead more easily. Even small amounts of dust containing lead are dangerous to infants and children. Lead taken in by mothers-to- be can also pose a danger to the health of unborn children...more... |
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April 2000
Lead hazards at indoor firing ranges: Most firing ranges in Washington State are relatively small operations, offering instruction and target practice to competitive and recreational shooters. Many cities and counties also run firing ranges for law enforcement officers. Exposures to airborne and settled lead dust at firing ranges put employees, instructors and customers at risk for lead poisoning. “Take-home” exposure is especially dangerous to children ages six and younger, because lead is toxic to the brain and can cause permanent damage...more... |
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October 1999
Occupational lead exposure, an alert for workers: Lead is a soft, bluish-gray metal found in small amounts throughout the environment. This chemical element has been used almost since the beginning of civilization. Lead can combine with various other substances to form numerous lead compounds. Some modern day uses of lead include manufacturing ammunition, batteries, chemical compounds, explosives, glassware, and metal products. To prevent rust and corrosion, lead is also used in containers and pipes, and most steel bridges are painted with lead-based paint....more.... |
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OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, Lead Paint: Pure lead is a heavy metal at room temperature and pressure and is a basic chemical element. It can combine with various other substances to form numerous lead compounds...more... |
