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Children of e-scrap workers at significant risk for take-home lead poisoning
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Two cases of children with lead poisoning in a single household triggered an investigation into the contaminant’s origin at an electronics recycling center, where one of the parents worked, according to a recent report in MMWR.
“With the increasing use of electronic devices and subsequent disposal and recycling of those devices, exposure to substances such as lead contained within the devices is an emerging occupational health concern in the e-scrap industry,” Nick Newman, DO, MS, FAAP, medical director of the Pediatric Environmental Health and Lead Clinic at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and colleagues wrote. “The cases described in this report were uncovered through routine lead screening.”
In June 2010, a boy aged 1 year and a girl aged 2 years were diagnosed with lead poisoning by their pediatrician after registering a blood lead level of 18 µg/dL and 14 µg/dL, respectively. The CDC considers 5 µg/dL to be at the high range for unsafe amounts of lead in the bloodstream for developing children. As a result, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit formed an investigation.
Investigators found that the children were inadvertently being exposed to lead via their father, after he would arrive home from work at an electronics recycling facility. He worked in a section of the facility that processed cathode ray tubes, a common component of older televisions and computer monitors that contains significant of amounts of lead dust. Investigators reported that the father would transfer lead after arriving home from work with lead particles on his hair and clothing and making direct contact with his children. The father’s blood lead level registered as 25 µg/dL. Interventions were established to reduce the blood lead levels of the children. Investigators last recorded the boy with a blood lead level of 8.7 µg/dL and the girl with 7.9 µg/dL.
A second simultaneous but separate investigation by the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health took place at the electronics recycling facility where the father worked. Investigators noted multiple issues with the procedures used to contain lead exposure at the facility, including poor ventilation, lack of showers and lack of proper changing areas.
Researchers recommend further investigation into how electronics recycling contributes to the exposure of developmental neurotoxins, as the practice of e-scrapping becomes more and more common.
“Other undetected chemicals might also be coming home from e-scrap worksites. Pediatric health care providers should query parents about their occupations and to assess the risk for exposure to various substances found in occupational settings,” Newman and colleagues wrote. – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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