Controlling Lead Exposure
Inorganic lead is a malleable, blue-gray, heavy metal that occurs naturally in the Earth's crust. Lead was one of the first metals used by humans and, consequently, the cause of the first recorded occupational disease (lead colic in a 4th century BC metal worker).
Lead was used extensively as a corrosion inhibitor and pigment in paints, but concerns over its toxicity led to the ban of the use of lead in paint for residential and public buildings.
Exposure to Lead
Lead enters the body primarily through inhalation and ingestion, and passes through the lungs into the blood where it can harm many of the body's organ systems. While inorganic lead does not readily enter the body through the skin, it can enter the body through accidental ingestion (eating, drinking, and smoking) via contaminated hands, clothing, and surfaces.
Lead poisoning may occur in workers during abrasive blasting, sanding, cutting, burning, or welding of bridges and other steel structures such as water and fuel storage tanks coated with lead-containing paints. Workers who may be exposed to lead include abrasive blasters, inspectors, iron workers (welders and cutters), painters, and laborers.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
8-1. How does lead primarily enter the body?
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