Health risk assessment of employees in an enterprise involving lead, arsenic and cadmium
10.3969/j.issn.1006-2483.2026.03.014
- VernacularTitle:某涉铅、砷和镉企业职工健康风险评估
- Author:
Yanru WANG
1
;
Zhaohui ZHANG
1
;
Yuqi TONG
1
;
Yaqi LI
1
Author Information
1. School of Public Health, Hengyang Medical School of University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan 421001, China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Lead;
Arsenic;
Cadmium;
Occupational health risk evaluation;
Risk assessment model
- From:
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
2026;37(3):66-70
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To investigate occupational exposure levels of lead, arsenic and cadmium in the lead smelting plant of Hunan Shui Kou Shan Nonferrous Metals Group Co. Ltd., analyze their effects on health of employees, and compare the applicability of different occupational health risk assessment methods, and to provide a basis for prevention and control of occupational exposure risks in enterprises. Methods According to systematic sampling method, 380 employees with lead, arsenic and cadmium exposure (exposure group) and 100 non-exposure employees (non-exposure group) were selected from 2022 to 2024 for on-site investigation of occupational health [concentration time-weighted average (CTWA)] and physical examination. The risk was evaluated by qualitative assessment method, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inhalation risk assessment method, and the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) semi-quantitative method. The consistency was analyzed by the Kappa test. Results CTWA values of lead, arsenic, and cadmium in all positions were lower than the occupational exposure limit (OEL). The levels of blood lead, urine arsenic, and urine cadmium, as well as the prevalence of multiple systems in the exposure group were significantly higher than those in the non-exposure group (P<0.05). The proportions of chronic lead, arsenic, and cadmium poisoning were increasing year by year in the exposure group (P<0.05). The qualitative assessment method mainly indicated low and medium risk, while the EPA and MOM methods mainly indicated medium and high risk, with good agreement between the two methods (Kappa=0.676, P<0.05). Conclusion Although the enterprise meets the CTWA standards, there are still occupational health risks of lead, arsenic, and cadmium. The EPA inhalation risk assessment method is more applicable.
