Abstract
In plants manufacturing lead batteries the potential of workers being enveloped in high density leaded air is great and requires a special compulsory medical examination.
In the factory tested a special medical examination was made and saliva samples were taken in order to measure lead levels. Besides this, due consideration of the relationship between these levels and the level of lead particles in the air was made.
The average level of lead in the saliva of 136 workers tested was 47.58 μg/dl. There appeared to be no particular relationship between this level and that of lead levels in the air. But when the air lead levels were divided into 3 levels, namely, less than 0.05 mg/m3, 0.05-0.10mg/m3, and more than 0.10mg/m3, it was found that to a certain extent estimates of lead levels in the air could be made from measurements of lead levels in saliva.
It became evident that scientifically testing the saliva and separating the leadparticles made it possible to evaluate the outside influence of lead particles in the air.
Judging from the above experiments, a relationship does exist between lead levels in the air and those in saliva and individual levels can be appraised.
