title: Severe lead poisoning in the plastics industry: a report of three cases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lead stabilizers (e.g., lead sulfate, lead stearate) are common additives in plastics used in electrical devices. In 1997, three plastics compounders at one California company were severely lead-poisoned.
  
  
  METHODS
  The poisonings were investigated by interviewing the workers, employer, and treating physician and reviewing medical records and environmental monitoring results. In addition to measuring blood lead levels (BLLs), noninvasive K X-ray fluorescence was used to measure bone lead concentration of the index case.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood lead concentrations of the three workers at time of diagnosis were 159, 114, and 108 microg/dl. The worker with highest exposure presented with clinical findings of crampy abdominal pain, constipation, normocytic anemia, fatigue, and reversible azotemia. Bone lead concentration in his tibia, calcaneous, and patella were 102, 219, and 182 ppm, respectively. The poisonings resulted from uncontrolled use of powdered lead sulfate stabilizer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians should be aware of potential serious overexposure to lead in compounding of plastics.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Health Branch, California Department of Health Services, Oakland, California 94612, USA. pcoyle@dhs.ca.gov
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coyle
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kosnett
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hipkins
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry*; D051437:Renal Insufficiency / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D010969:Plastics; D007854:Lead; C032722:lead sulfate