Coming from a firefighting/atomic energy
worker background I can tell you that we always solved these issues by going to
the best protection that we have – full face respirators, either air
supplied or with N100 cartridges installed and Tyvek coveralls. The rule of
thumb is simple – no exposure to anything in the lungs/respiratory tract
except air. That way the employer uses due diligence and the employee is fully
protected, able to work an 8 hour shift with minimal risk.
Michael J. Dube
Program Specialist
Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit
(EPRU)
Office of the Fire Marshal of Ontario (OFM)
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS)
Office: (705)687-9696
Cell: (705) 715-4768
Pager: (705) 735-5935
Fax: (705) 687-8636
From:
DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of Jeskie, Kimberly B.
Sent: May 17, 2012 9:44 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] respiratory
protection when handling lead
I have a curiosity question. We seem to have significantly differing
past experiences within a group of colleges with respect to whether respiratory
protection has been required to keep exposures below action levels when
chemically cleaning, moving or stacking lead bricks. At some institutions,
there's a rule of thumb (based on previous monitoring) that handling as few as
5 bricks requires full face respirators. Others say they have monitoring data
where they've manipulated hundreds of bricks with no issues. So I'm curious if
there's anyone out there with experience you would care to share.
Kim
Kimberly Begley Jeskie, MPH-OSHM
Operations Manager
Physical Sciences Directorate
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Office: (865) 574-4945
Cell: (865) 919-4134
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