a survey on lead absorption in the employees of tehran battery workshops

a total number of 67 workers of teheran battery workshops were investigated for probable lead absorption due to the working with lead storage batteries. twenty workers with other occupations were selected as control group. blood and urine analysis were carried out for both groups. lead content of the urine in about 95.5% of the subjects was below 10 μg/100 ml. two subjects showed higher concentrations of lead in urine. in one subject other analyses revealed lead intoxication. in the other subject no signs of lead poisoning were found. the intoxicated person was a worker who used to break old batteries and smelt their lead plates for many years and his intoxication was not presumably sourced from working in the battery workshop. no evidence was found to support the increase of lead absorption in these workers.