California Leads The Way in Reducing Exposure to Lead

December 6, 2013- Efforts to reduce lead exposure are again making news. The California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (OLPPP) is recommending significant reductions to the state's, and OSHA's, permissible exposure limit (PEL) for air lead levels in a workplace environment.

"California Department of Public Health Recommends Lowering Cal/OSHA PEL for Lead," a recent article the American Industrial Hygiene Association website AIHA.com, states that in a letter dated Sept. 30, the OLPPP recommended that workers’ exposure to lead in air be kept at or below 0.5 to 2.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m³). AIHA notes the current Cal/OSHA PEL is 50 µg/m³.

The OLPPP based its recommended PEL after determining that chronic blood lead levels (BLLs) at or above the range of 5 to 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) pose a health risk to workers.

AIHA reports that the OLPPP contracted with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to estimate the concentrations of lead in air that would result in BLLs of interest over a 40-year working lifetime and writes, "OEHHA’s modeling results inform the range of the recommended PEL, with 0.5 µg/m³—the low end of the range—providing a margin of safety for individuals who are more susceptible to lead exposures."

Read the full AIHA post here. Read the OLPPP's recommendation here and go to CDPH's web page for recommendations for improving the Cal/OSHA lead standards.

Carnow Conibear and Associates is a demonstrated leader in the occupational and environmental health professions since 1975. To find out more, click here or call us at (800) 860-4486.