Lead exposures during shipboard chipping and grinding paint-removal operations

Shipboard chipping and grinding paint-removal operations were evaluated to determine personnel exposures to airborne lead concentrations. Lead concentrations found in the bulk lead-paint samples ranged from 0.0037 to 11.5% by weight. Of the personnel conducting paint removal operations, 62% were exposed at or above the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit for lead of 50 micrograms/m3. Correlations of airborne lead concentrations and bulk lead-paint contents for chipping and grinding operations were statistically significant. Blood lead (Pb) levels were significantly higher in the follow-up blood tests when compared to the initial blood tests taken prior to paint removal. However, blood Pb levels were well below the OSHA allowable level of 40 micrograms/100 g.