October 2020

The goal of NLPPW is to encourage organized, local community events, and to empower families and other stakeholders to take action to help prevent lead poisoning. This is imperative as approximately 3.6 million American households have children under 6 years of age who live in homes with lead exposure hazards. The CDC also reports that about 500,000 American children between ages of 1 and 5 years have blood lead levels greater than or equal to the blood lead reference value (BLRV), the level (5 micrograms per deciliter) at which the agency recommends public health actions.

Much of the lead poisoning is due to the fact that the toxic heavy metal can still be found inside and outside of many homes. This may include the home’s water and the soil around the house in some cases; however, the most common source of exposure is from lead-based paint, which was used in many homes built before 1978. 

Both adults and children can get lead into their bodies by breathing in lead dust (especially during activities such as renovations, repairs or painting) or by swallowing lead dust that settles in food, food preparation surfaces, floors, window sills and other places, or eating paint chips or soil that contain lead. Children can also be exposed to lead dust from an adult’s job or hobbies, and from some metal toys or toys painted with lead-based paints. 

“Childhood lead poisoning is considered the most preventable environmental disease among young children,” said Zahid Iqbal, MPH, CIH and Technical Director at Clark Seif Clark (CSC). “Preventing exposure is key, whether for children in the home or for adults on the job. At CSC our industrial hygiene, environmental and building science professionals provide lead consulting and testing services to identify lead hazards so they can be eliminated or mitigated to prevent new cases of lead poisoning.” 

CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week that can be seen below:

To learn more about this or other building science, infection control, industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, environmental, health and safety services, please:

Occupational asthma, also known as work-related asthma, can dramatically impact a worker’s quality of life and reduce their productivity. Sadly, it’s the most common occupational lung disease in the United States and the condition increases costs to employees, employers and society. 

As an example, inhalation exposure to something as basic as flour dust can cause a condition known as baker’s asthma. Flour dust made from wheat, corn, rye, barley, oats, rice or other cereal grains can have many components. It is often a complex mixture that includes proteins, enzymes and baker’s additives, which could include sweeteners, coloring, flavoring and other ingredients. Exposure to flour dust is an occupational concern for more than just bakers. Workers in commercial kitchens, grinding mills, packaging plants, and the many other food processing and manufacturing facilities that use flour could all come in regular contact with it. Any of these workers could be at risk of developing eye and respiratory irritation, allergies and baker’s asthma if they are exposed to it over a long enough period of time. Even skin contact with flour dust can cause dermatitis in some workers. 

Whether it’s exposure to flour dust or one of the other 250+ substances reported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that are known, or believed, to cause or exacerbate work-related asthma, the end result can be disabling. As many as 2 million workers may have occupational asthma according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). While the goal is to prevent the condition in the first place, for those that do suffer from occupational asthma, it is imperative that it is caught and managed early, otherwise it is likely to continue and get worse. 

The environmental, health and safety professionals at Clark Seif Clark (CSC) have the ability to help prevent or mitigate worker exposure to known respiratory irritants, allergens and known asthma triggers through testing, monitoring and training services. CSC also recently sponsored an educational video about baker’s asthma and exposure to flour dust that can be seen below: 

To learn more about this or other industrial hygiene, indoor air quality, building science, environmental, health and safety services, please visit www.csceng.com, email csc@csceng.com or call (800) 807-1118.

About Clark Seif Clark: CSC was established in 1989 to help clients in both the public and private sectors address environmental issues. CSC is a leading provider of these services with multiple offices along the western seaboard and southwest. The company believes in science-based protocols and has a strong background in engineering making them the preferred environmental consultants to healthcare facilities, architects, schools, builders, contractors, developers and real estate professionals.