Lead overexposure is a leading cause of workplace illness. Therefore, OSHA has established the reduction of lead exposure to be a high strategic priority. In general populations lead may be present at hazardous concentrations in food, water, and air. Sources include paint, urban dust, and folk remedies. It is also a major potential public health risk.
Lead poisoning is the leading environmentally induced illness in children.
At greatest risk are children under the age of six because they are undergoing rapid neurological and physical development. Recognition Lead is commonly added to industrial paints because of its characteristic to resist corrosion. Oral ingestion may represent a major route of exposure in contaminated workplaces. Most exposures occur with inorganic lead. Organic forms may be absorbed through the skin, while inorganic forms cannot.