HRA: Antiquated OSHA Lead Standards Fail to Protect Americans

[Omaha Steve]

http://ehstoday.com/standards/news/antiquated-osha-standards-fail-protection-0320/

Mar 20, 2009 5:16 PM, by Laura Walter

While the United States has dramatically reduced environmental lead levels since the 1970s, new findings show that Americans who work with lead and their families are still at risk of developing serious chronic health conditions, according to UC Berkeley's Health Research for Action (HRA).

A recent issue of HRA’s Perspectives pointed out, "As scientific evidence has shown more serious health effects associated with lower lead levels than previously anticipated, the number of persons who must be considered at risk increases dramatically.”

HRA says that OSHA, however, has ignored more than 30 years of medical evidence showing that its lead regulations are no longer protective. These standards were introduced in 1978 to protect industrial workers from acute lead exposure, but a growing body of research shows compelling evidence of harm from long-term exposure to much lower levels of lead than OSHA allows in the workplace. Family members can be poisoned by lead dust on workers' clothing, increasing the risk of developmental problems in young children.

Even lower levels of lead in the blood over time are associated with some of the major chronic conditions that contribute to skyrocketing U.S. health care costs:

* Increased blood pressure in workers whose blood lead levels are far lower than the levels OSHA allows. Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease.
* Decreased kidney function, which may be even worse in people who are already at risk for kidney disease because of hypertension or diabetes.
* Decreased brain function and intellectual activity in adults whose lead levels are lower than OSHA-allowed limits.
* Reproductive problems, especially with low to moderate levels of lead exposure during pregnancy. These include an increased risk of spontaneous abortion and harmful effects on fetal growth and brain development.


FULL story at link.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I hope that giving some teeth back to OSHA will be a priority for Pres Obama.