What are the stability and reactivity hazards of lead?
- Chemical Stability: Normally stable.
- Conditions to Avoid: Generation of dust.
- Incompatible Materials: Reacts violently with: strong acids (e.g. hydrochloric acid), when hot. Not corrosive to metals.
- Hazardous Decomposition Products: None known.
- Possibility of Hazardous Reactions: None known.
Is lead a physical hazard?
Potential Health Effects: Inhalation or ingestion of lead may result in headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal spasms, fatigue, sleep disturbances, weight loss, anemia and leg, arm, and joint pain.
Is lead a fire hazard?
What are fire hazards and extinguishing media for lead? Flammable Properties: Does not burn. (lead metal) COMBUSTIBLE DUST. Powder may form explosive dust-air mixture.
What lead hazard means?
Lead hazard means any substance, surface or object that contains lead and that, due to its condition, location or nature, may contribute to the lead poisoning or lead exposure of a child under 6 years of age.
Is lead a contaminant?
EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bioaccumulate in the body over time.
What is a fire hazard?
Any actions, materials, or conditions that might increase the size or severity of a fire or that might cause a fire to start are called fire hazards. The hazard might be a fuel that is easy to ignite or a heat source like a defective appliance.
What are the hazards of working with lead?
Working with lead can put your health at risk, causing symptoms including headaches, stomach pains and anaemia. Other serious health effects include kidney damage, nerve and brain damage and infertility.
What is lead used for?
Lead is still widely used for car batteries, pigments, ammunition, cable sheathing, weights for lifting, weight belts for diving, lead crystal glass, radiation protection and in some solders. It is often used to store corrosive liquids.
What causes lead pollution?
At the national level, major sources of lead in the air are ore and metals processing and piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded aviation fuel. Other sources are waste incinerators, utilities, and lead-acid battery manufacturers. The highest air concentrations of lead are usually found near lead smelters.
What is the OSHA standard for lead?
The NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for lead is a Time Weighted Average of 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) over 8-hours. The required (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for lead is also no greater than 50 µg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour period.
What things contain lead?
Common Sources of Lead PoisoningLead-Based Paint.Contaminated Soil.Children's Toys and Jewelry.Drinking Water.Workplace and Hobby Hazards.Traditional Home Remedies and Cosmetics.Lead Glazed Ceramic Ware, Pottery and Leaded Crystal.Imported Candy.More items...
What is lead mineral?
Lead is a soft, malleable, ductile and dense metallic element. It is extracted chiefly from the mineral galena and found in ore that also contains zinc, silver and copper. The chemical properties of lead allow this element to be used in power storage and delivery applications.
Is lead an element or a compound?
Lead is a chemical element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Classified as a post-transition metal, Lead is a solid at room temperature.
What are the health effects of lead?
A person who is exposed to lead over time may feel: People with prolonged exposure to lead may also be at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and reduced fertility.
What are the symptoms of lead poisoning?
Tired. Headachy. Irritable. Loss of appetite. Memory loss. Pain or tingling in the hands and/or feet. Weak. Because these symptoms may occur slowly or may be caused by other things, lead poisoning can be easily overlooked. Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage.
Where is lead stored?
Within our bodies, lead is absorbed and stored in our bones, blood, and tissues. It does not stay there permanently, rather it is stored there as a source of continual internal exposure. 1 As we age, our bones demineralize and the internal exposures may increase as a result of larger releases of lead from the bone tissue.
Can lead cause miscarriage?
Lead exposure can cause miscarriage, stillbirths, and infertility (in both men and women). Generally, lead affects children more than it does adults. Children tend to show signs of severe lead toxicity at lower levels than adults.
Can lead poisoning happen in a short time?
Health effects from short-term overexposure to lead. Lead poisoning can happen if a person is exposed to very high levels of lead over a short period of time. When this happens, a person may feel: Because these symptoms may occur slowly or may be caused by other things, lead poisoning can be easily overlooked.
Does lead affect the body?
Health Problems Caused by Lead. It does not matter if a person breathes-in, swallows, or absorbs lead particles, the health effects are the same; however, the body absorbs higher levels of lead when it is breathed-in. Within our bodies, lead is absorbed and stored in our bones, blood, and tissues.
Is lead a cancer?
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have determined that lead is probably cancer-causing in humans. 5.
Why is lead dangerous to children?
Lead is particularly dangerous to children because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults do and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Babies and young children can also be more highly exposed to lead because they often put their hands and other objects that can have lead from dust or soil on them into their mouths. Children may also be exposed to lead by eating and drinking food or water containing lead or from dishes or glasses that contain lead, inhaling lead dust from lead-based paint or lead-contaminated soil or from playing with toys with lead-based paint.
Where is lead found in the environment?
Where is Lead Found? Lead can be found in all parts of our environment – the air, the soil, the water, and even inside our homes. Much of our exposure comes from human activities including the use of fossil fuels including past use of leaded gasoline, some types of industrial facilities and past use of lead-based paint in homes.
How much lead is in blood?
Currently that is 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in blood. The new, lower value means that more children likely will be identified as having lead exposure allowing parents, doctors, public health officials, and communities to take action earlier to reduce the child’s future exposure to lead.
How to prevent lead exposure in home?
You can lower the chances of exposure to lead in your home, both now and in the future, by taking these steps: Inspect and maintain all painted surfaces to prevent paint deterioration.
Where is lead stored in the body?
Pregnant Women. Lead can accumulate in our bodies over time, where it is stored in bones along with calcium. During pregnancy, lead is released from the mother's bones along with calcium and can pass from the mother exposing the fetus or the breastfeeding infant to lead.
Where does lead go when it is released into the air?
When lead is released to the air from industrial sources or spark-ignition engine aircraft, it may travel long distances before settling to the ground, where it usually sticks to soil particles. Lead may move from soil into ground water depending on the type of lead compound and the characteristics of the soil.
Can children be exposed to lead?
Children may also be exposed to lead by eating and drinking food or water containing lead or from dishes or glasses that contain lead, inhaling lead dust from lead-based paint or lead-contaminated soil or from playing with toys with lead-based paint.
What are the industries that are exposed to lead?
Lead exposure occurs in most industry sectors including construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation, remediation and even recreation. Construction workers are exposed to lead during the removal, ...
What is lead used for?
The primary use of lead in the U.S. is for automotive lead-acid storage batteries, a type of rechargeable electric battery which uses an almost pure lead alloy. Lead-formed alloys are typically found in ammunition, pipes, cable covering, building material, solder, radiation shielding, collapsible tubes, and fishing weights.
What are the lead standards?
The lead standards also include ancillary provisions such as medical surveillance, exposure monitoring, and hygiene facilities and practices that are critical in preventing lead exposure and elevated blood lead levels. For more information on lead standard requirements go to the Standards section of this webpage.
How do you get exposed to lead?
Today, adults are mainly exposed to lead by breathing in lead-containing dust and fumes at work, or from hobbies that involve lead. Lead passes through the lungs into the blood where it can harm many of the body's organ systems.
Where is lead used in manufacturing?
Lead is most often used in the manufacturing sector (e.g., manufacturing products containing lead) but worker exposure can also occur in other industry sectors including construction and wholesale trade.
Where does lead come from?
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).
Is lead a hazardous substance?
Lead exposure can occur not only in the production of these kinds of objects but also in their use (e.g., firing ranges), repair (e.g., radiator repair), and recycling (e.g., lead-acid battery recycling). In the general population, lead may be present in small but hazardous concentrations in food, water, and air.
How to protect workers from lead?
To protect workers from lead exposure, employers must have in place appropriate control and prevention procedures as part of their worker protection safety and health program. This is mainly applicable when worker exposure to lead exceeds the OSHA approved maximum exposure levels. The OSHA Lead Standard for the construction industry determines maximum lead exposure levels for employees who could be exposed to lead while completing job tasks. According to OSHA, the permissible exposure limit (PEL) for lead is 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air and the action level (AL) for lead is 30 micrograms per cubic meter of air. For occupations where lead exposure of workers exceeds 8 hours a day, OSHA has a formula for calculating the workers’ allowable exposure known as a time-weighted average (TWA) for that day.
Is lead poisoning harmful?
Today, while lead continues to be used in both its organic and inorganic forms, there is a greater understanding of the hazards related to lead exposure and the need for lead safety processes. The negative impact of lead exposure varies from person to person as the absorption of lead in the human body depends on several personal factors including age, individual health status, and intake of healthy food, as well as the nature of the lead poisoning such as the route of lead exposure, length of exposure, and form of exposure.
WHAT IS LEAD?
Lead is a soft, blue-gray metal that occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust. Because of its very useful properties, lead was one of the first metals used by humans, and, consequently, the cause of the first recorded occupational disease. In the past, lead was used regularly in paint, batteries, ceramics, caulk, pipes, and solder for pipes.
WHAT ARE THE HAZARDS OF LEAD?
Lead overexposure is one of the leading causes of workplace illness. In adults, lead enters the body primarily through breathing in lead-containing dust, along with accidental ingestion (e.g., eating, drinking, smoking). Lead passes from the lungs or the digestive tract into the blood where it can harm many of the body’s systems.
WHERE IS LEAD FOUND IN HOMES AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS?
Lead dust is produced when lead metal is cut or when lead-based paint is cut, sanded, chipped, scraped, or crushed. Workers may be exposed to lead during the removal, renovation, or demolition of structures painted with lead-based paints.
PROTECTING WORKERS
Employers are required to protect workers from lead exposure under OSHA lead standards covering general industry ( 29 CFR 1910.1025) and construction ( 29 CFR 1926.62 ).
DECONTAMINATION
Hand washing with standard soap and water is recommended by OSHA and NIOSH. However, specialized lead removal products should also be considered by employers, particularly if dust or paint is found to have high lead concentrations. Products are available that reveal lead contamination on hands/surfaces, and that remove lead residues from skin.
OTHER SAFETY AND HEALTH HAZARDS
Recovery workers involved in demolition and rebuilding may face additional hazards on the job site.
ASSISTANCE FOR EMPLOYERS
OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program offers free and confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. On-site Consultation services are separate from enforcement and do not result in penalties or citations.
What are other names or identifying information for lead?
CAS Registry No.: 7439-92-1 Other Names: Elemental Lead, Lead metal, Inorganic lead Main Uses: Manufacture of many products including storage batteries and ammunition, in construction materials, in solders and alloys, etc. Appearance: Blue - grey lustrous solid. Odour: Odourless
What is the WHMIS 1988 classification?
D2A - Very Toxic (Chronic toxicity; Teratogenicity/embryotoxicity; Carcinogenicity; Mutagenicity; Reproductive toxicity)
What are the most important things to know about lead in an emergency?
Emergency Overview: Blue - grey lustrous solid. Odourless. COMBUSTIBLE DUST. Dust may form explosive dust-air mixture. VERY TOXIC. Prolonged or repeated exposure causes damage to nervous system, kidneys, blood. if inhaled and/or ingested. SUSPECT CANCER HAZARD. Suspected of causing cancer. REPRODUCTIVE HAZARD. May damage fertility.
What are the potential health effects of lead?
Main Routes of Exposure: Inhalation. Skin contact. Eye contact. Ingestion.
What are first aid measures for lead?
Inhalation: Take precautions to ensure your own safety before attempting rescue (e.g. wear appropriate protective equipment). Move victim to fresh air.
What are fire hazards and extinguishing media for lead?
Flammable Properties: Does not burn. (lead metal) COMBUSTIBLE DUST. Powder may form explosive dust-air mixture.
What are accidental release measures for lead?
Personal Precautions: Keep unnecessary and unprotected personnel out of spill area. Do not touch damaged containers or spilled product unless wearing appropriate protective equipment.
What is lead fumes?
Lead fumes are produced during metal processing, when metal is being heated or soldered. Lead dust is produced when metal is being cut or when lead paint is sanded or removed with a heat gun. Lead fumes and lead dust do not have an odor, so you may not know you are being exposed.
How can you get exposed to lead?
You can be exposed by coming in contact with lead dust. Some studies have found lead can be absorbed through skin. 1 If you handle lead and then touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, you could be exposed. Lead dust can also get on your clothes and your hair.
Can you eat lead dust?
If you eat, drink, or smoke in areas where lead is being processed or stored, you could ingest lead dust. Not washing your hands before you eat or touch your mouth are also ways you could ingest lead.
