Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Original Article

The Relationship between Psychosocial Distress and Lead Exposure Indices in Lead Workers: Yong Bae Kim, Hyun Cheol Ahn, Young Hwangbo, Gap Soo Lee, Kyu Yoon Hwang, Sung Soo Lee, Kyu Dong Ahn, Byung Kook Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2000;12(1):128-138. Published online March 31, 2000; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2000.12.1.128

Abstract PDF: OBJECTIVES
This study was carried out to assess psychosocial distress of lead workers and to examine the relationship between lead exposure indices and psychosocial distress.
METHODS
The study design was cross-sectional and research subjects were 234 lead workers in primary smelting industry. General characteristics, job characteristics and social support were obtained by self-administered questionnaire and history taking. Psychosocial distress was measured using PWI(Psychosocial Well-being Index), a 45-item self-administered instrument. Blood lead(PbB), zinc protoporphyrin(ZPP), -aminolevulinic acid in urine(ALAU) were selected as indicators of lead exposure.
RESULTS
There was significant difference in PWI according to lead exposure level and job characteristics. The results of correlation analysis showed that PWI was significantly correlated with PbB(r=0.203, P=0.002).
CONCLUSIONS
Our results supported the association between lead exposure and psychosocial distress. The inclusion of psychosocial distress measurement as a special health examination for lead workers was highly recommended for the effective health management.

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Original Article

Occupational Lead Exposure of Storage Battery Industry Workers in Korea: Pil Kyu Kang, Yong Bae Kim, Ik Soo Ahn, Jong Kyu Lee, Ku Seok Han, Hwa Sung Kim, Kyu Yoon Hwang, Gap Soo Lee, Kyu Dong Ahn, Byung Kook Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1998;10(4):438-449. Published online December 31, 1998; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1998.10.4.438

In order to investigate the level of lead absorption of lead workers and to evaluate the effect of blood lead on blood zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) and prevalence of lead related symptoms, 1,782 lead workers(male: 1,506, female: 276) from 8 storage battery industries were studied. Selected variables as indices of lead exposure were blood lead, blood ZPP, and hemoglobin (HB). Fifteen questionnaires of lead related symptoms were provided to all lead workers and filled up by themselves and confirmed by medical doctors. Personal variables such as age, work duration, smoking and drinking habits were also collected. The results were follows : 1. While the mean blood lead of lead workers of all lead companies was 31.0+/-3.0 ug/100ml (male: 31.5+/-2.9 ug/100ml, female: 27.9+/-3.3 ug/100m1), the mean blood ZPP of all lead workers was 66.7+/-4.1 ug/100ml (male: 59.6+/-3.3, female: 105.3+/-3.0 ug/100ml). The mean hemoglobin of male lead workers was 15.7+/-.3 gm/100ml and that of female lead workers was 13.0+/-.3 gm/100ml. 2. The percentage of lead workers whose blood lead was over 60.0 ug/100m1 and 40.0-59.9 ug/100ml was 2.81 % and 19.08 %, respectively. On the other hand, the percentage of lead workers whose blood ZPP was over 150 ug/100ml and 100-149 ug/100ml was 5.89 % and 8.31 %, respectively. 3. The slopes of simple linear regression of blood lead (independent variable) and blood ZPP in female lead workers was significantly steeper than that of male lead workers. The slope of storage battery industries with better working condition in terms of low air concentration of lead were less steeper than those with poor working condition with high mean air concentration of lead. 4. Stepwise multiple regression analysis, using overall symptom prevalence as a dependent variables, blood lead, blood ZPP, hemoglobin, age, work duration, drinking and smoking habits as independent variables, indicated that only drinking habit and age were significantly contributed to the dependent variable.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Occupational Lead Exposure from Indoor Firing Ranges in Korea
Won-Ju Park, Suk-Ho Lee, Se-Ho Lee, Hye-Sik Yoon, Jai-Dong Moon
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2016; 31(4): 497. CrossRef
Blood lead levels of Korean lead workers in 2003–2011
Ji-Hye Kim, Eun-A Kim, Dong-Hee Koh, Kiwhan Byun, Hyang-Woo Ryu, Sang-Gil Lee
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2014;[Epub] CrossRef

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Original Article

A Study on the Lead Exposure of Workers in Secondary Smelting and Litharge Making Industries: Je Myung Chae, Gap Soo Lee, Sung Soo Lee, Kyu Dong Ahn, Byung Kook Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1997;9(1):131-139. Published online February 28, 1997; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1997.9.1.131

Abstract PDF

Two hundred and six male lead workers (86 lead workers from secondary smelting industries and 120 lead workers from litharge making industries) and 212 office workers who were not exposed to lead occupationally were studied to investigate the effect of lead on the health of lead workers in high risk operation to lead. Blood lead (PbB), zinc protoporphyrin in whole blood (ZPP), delta-aminolevulinic acid in urine (ALAU), Hematocrit (Hct) and hemoglobin (Hb) were selected as an index of lead exposure. Questionnaires of 15 lead related symptoms were provided to all study subject and filled up by themselves and reconfirmed the symptom answers by interviewing medical doctor. While the mean value of PbB, ZPP and ALAU of lead workers in secondary smelting industries were 62.7+/-14.6 microgram/dl, 103.1+/-60.5 microgram/dl and 7.4+/-10.3 mg/liter, those of lead workers in litharge making industries were 58.8+/-14.1 microgram/dl, 74.2+/-45.2 microgram/dl and 5.3+/- 7.9 mg/liter respectively, and there were statistically significant difference of mean values between two groups. Simple linear regression analysis of PBB on ZPP and ALAU shoved the steeper slope in secondary smelting industries than litharge making industries. Higher symptom prevalence rates of lead exposed group were observed in lead colic related symptom (S4) and neuromuscular symptoms compared with non-exposed workers. The prevalence of neuromuscular symptoms only showed dose-response relationship by the increase of PBB and ZPP. But more statistical significances were observed in neuromuscular symptoms by the increase of PBB than ZPP. On stepwise multiple regression using total symptom score as a dependent variable and PBB, ZPP, ALAU, Hct, Hb, age and work duration as a independent variables only ZPP and age contributed to the lead related symptoms.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

The association between cadmium and lead exposure and blood pressure among workers of a smelting industry: a cross-sectional study
Hyun Chan An, Joo Hyun Sung, Jiho Lee, Chang Sun Sim, Sang Hoon Kim, Yangho Kim
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2017;[Epub] CrossRef
Blood lead levels of Korean lead workers in 2003–2011
Ji-Hye Kim, Eun-A Kim, Dong-Hee Koh, Kiwhan Byun, Hyang-Woo Ryu, Sang-Gil Lee
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2014;[Epub] CrossRef

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