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Document ID (ISN)67697
CIS number 96-1780
ISSN - Serial title 0944-2502 - Zentralblatt für Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie
Year 1994
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Pfister E., Böckelmann I., Brosz M., Ferl T., Winter C.G.
Title Determination of neurotoxic effects caused by long-term exposure to lead in the Saxony-Anhalt copper industry by means of psychometric performance tests
Original title Ermittlung neurotoxischer Effekte infolge langjähriger Bleiexposition in der Kupferindustrie Sachsen-Anhalts anhand psychometrischer Leistungsdaten [in German]
Bibliographic information Dec. 1994, Vol.44, No.12, p.422-432. Illus. 58 ref.
Abstract The influence of long-term exposure to lead on perceptual-motor performance was studied in 109 workers of a copper smelter in the Land of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany (ex-GDR). The workers had been exposed throughout a 10-year period to permissible lead concentrations of somewhat above 0.025mg/m3, which amounted to somewhat more than one quarter of the exposure limit. The average blood lead level amounted to 31.2µg/dL which was less than half the biological threshold limit. The performance of the lead-exposed workers in 7 computer-aided psychometric tests was compared to that of a non-exposed control group of 27 workers of a mechanical engineering plant. No statistically significant relationship between the blood lead levels and the perceptual-motor performance was found for the exposed group. It is concluded that perceptual-motor performance is not a good indicator of the latent effects caused by a long-term sub-clinical exposure to lead.
Descriptors (primary) neurotoxic effects; copper; smelting plants; perceptual-motor performance; long-term exposure; lead
Descriptors (secondary) Germany; plant health supervision; medical supervision; epidemiologic study
Document type D - Periodical articles
Country / State or ProvinceGermany
Subject(s) Metal production and metalworking
Broad subject area(s) Chemical safety
Browse category(ies) Diseases of the nervous system
Inorganic substances
Smelting and refining operations
Lead and compounds
Copper and compounds