Assessment of Blood Lead and Its Determinants among Cables Industry Workers at 10th of Ramadan City in Egypt | ||
| The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine | ||
| Article 104, Volume 92, Issue 1, July 2023, Pages 6150-6167 PDF (690.36 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejhm.2023.312369 | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Lead poisoning remains a major occupational health problem, especially in developing countries which lack strict legislations for protection of health of workers. Objective: This study was conducted among cable industry workers aiming to assess blood lead level (BLL) of lead exposed workers and to determine the associated occupational risk factors of elevated blood lead. Subjects and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 170 cable industry workers at 10th of Ramadan City in Egypt during the period from July 2022 to June 2023, using a semi structured questionnaire assessing present history of lead toxicity symptoms and by investigating BLL. Results: The current study showed that (80 %) of cable workers had elevated BLL, and reported lead toxicity symptoms as (10%) suffered irritability and nervousness, (9.4%) memory problems, (9.4 %) tingling or numbness in extremities, (5.3 %) difficult concentration, (6.5 %) abdominal pain, (3.5%) constipation and (8.8 %) muscle pain. By regression analysis, the study indicated that, current occupation, previous occupational exposure and gown nonuse were the significant predictors of occurrence of current high BLL. Conclusion: Implementation of engineering control measures, ensuring continuous availability of properly designed personal protective equipment (PPE) with applying health education programs for workers about occupational health hazards and preventive measures are recommended. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Blood lead; Cable industry; Lead toxicity; Symptoms; 10th of Ramadan; Cable workers | ||
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