AIM The objective of this study was to investigate the exposure to lead (Pb) among artisan
; workers manufacturing cookware from scrap metal and their community.
; METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional survey in six cookware manufacturing
; workshops and, for comparison, eight carpentry workshops (negative controls) and 14 lead
; batteries repairing workshops (positive controls). All workshops are located in areas without
; mining activities of Lubumbashi city. We collected surface dust samples of the workspaces,
; and blood and urine samples of the workers and residents from the sites where the
; workshops are installed. Element determination was performed using Inductively Coupled
; Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).
; RESULTS In the artisanal cookware manufacturers (ACM) group, bood and urinary lead
; concentration geometric mean {121.5 μg/L [interquartile range(IQR 79.1-206.5)] and [3.3
; μg/g (1.5-7.1)]} were estimated to be about twice as high as the negative control group {[60.2
; μg/L (37.2-94.0)] and [0.9 μg/g, (0.3-3.8)]} and half the value of the positive control goup
; {[241.8 μg/L (82.8-591.7)] and [7.2 μg/g (1.1-26.3)]}. Among residents from the site of the
; workshop, children had higher urinary Pb concentrations [6.2 μg/g (2.3-19.3)] than the
; workers.
; CONCLUSION This investigation demonstrates a substantial occupational Pb exposure
; among ACM and warns on the hazards for residents, especially children, due to the
; installation of these activities in residential sites.