Fundamental Studies on Speiss in Lead Smelting (2nd Report)

Acute lead poisoning associated with backyard lead smelting in Jamaica.

Long-term backyard smelting of lead in a district known as Mona Commons, Kingston, Jamaica, has produced lead burdens as high as 30 000 mg/kg in soils near to the smelter, and indoor dust loadings of 373 microg/f2 in the residents' home. The blood lead levels (BPb) of 107 children from the district were in the range 2.2-202 microg/dL. Fifty-nine per cent of these had BPb levels above 10 microg/...

Chemical speciation of lead dust associated with primary lead smelting.

The research presented in this article assessed geochemical factors relating to dust produced during primary lead smelting. Bulk dust samples and size-selective airborne dust samples were collected from four areas of a primary lead smelter and analyzed by X-ray diffraction and sequential chemical extraction. X-ray diffraction showed that the smelter dusts were composed primarily of sulfides, ox...

2nd Annual Report on Strees

Discovering unrecognized lead-smelting sites by historical methods.

OBJECTIVES Our objective was to enumerate unrecognized former lead smelters in the United States. METHODS Defunct smelters were identified by historical research. The compiled list was compared with government registries of hazardous sites. Soil samples were taken from 10 sites. RESULTS Approximately 430 sites were unknown to the federal authorities. Only 5 of 319 sites were known to author...

Blood lead levels and risk factors for lead poisoning among children in a Mexican smelting community.

The authors evaluated mean blood lead levels (BLLs) and the prevalence of elevated BLLs in children 1-6 yr of age living in Torreón, Mexico, and assessed risk factors for lead exposure in these children. The study involved a simple random sample of households in the area around a local smelter, as well as a 2-stage cluster sample of neighborhoods and households in the remainder of Torreón. The ...