article · Journal of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka
Occupational lead exposure increasingly stems from informal battery repair activities rather than large-scale industrial plants. In this cross-sectional study in Lagos State, researchers evaluated blood lead and haemoglobin levels among 150 battery technicians and 150 local government office workers. The battery technicians had significantly lower education and income levels but possessed more years of work experience compared to office personnel. Testing showed that battery technicians had a median blood lead level of 9.0 micrograms per decilitre, which was significantly higher than the 0.3 micrograms per decilitre recorded for office workers. Differences in haemoglobin levels between the two groups were not statistically significant, though age was associated with haemoglobin among office workers. Recommended interventions include enclosing batteries during repair, switching to non-lead battery servicing, providing training, utilising personal protective equipment, and conducting routine biological monitoring.
Lead exposure causes severe public health complications, and informal repair shops present an ongoing risk to workers through fumes, ingestion, and skin contact. Showing the elevated blood lead burdens in battery technicians highlights the urgent need for targeted occupational safety standards, worker protection protocols, and routine health screenings in informal technical trades.
The findings suggest potential application opportunities for makers of protective equipment, enclosed repair workstations, and biological screening services tailored to small-scale battery repair shops. The research itself represents an observational health baseline rather than a commercial product, meaning any associated workplace interventions or diagnostic monitoring programmes remain at an applied, early stage of implementation.
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Introduction: Human exposure to lead has significant public health problems. Occupational exposure of lead has shifted from industrial sources to battery repair activities. Battery technicians are at risk of exposure to lead via inhalation of fumes, oral ingestion and skin absorption. Objectives: To assess and compare blood lead and haemoglobin levels of battery technicians and local government office workers in South-western Nigeria Methods: A cross-sectional study with multi-stage sampling was used to compare battery technicians and office workers in Lagos State. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection while blood samples were collected for lead and haemoglobin measurements. Chi-squared test, Mann-Whitney U test, Fisher’s exact test and Student t-test were used to test for significance at p≤0.05.Results: A total of 150 battery technicians and 150 office workers participated in the study. The battery technicians were less educated and earned less but had more years of working experience (p≤0.001) when compared to office workers. The median (range) blood lead value for battery workers was 9.0 (1.0-24.0) μg/dl compared to office workers 0.3 (0.01-3.2) μg/dl, which was statistically significant. The age of office workers was associated with their blood haemoglobin level. Conclusions & Recommendations: Blood lead level of battery technicians was significantly higher than that of the office workers but their haemoglobin levels were non-significant. A switch to repair of non-lead batteries, changing the work process by enclosing the battery during repairs, more trainings on lead exposure reduction, use of personal protective devices and regular biological monitoring of lead may control elevated lead level among battery technicians.
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DOI: 10.4038/jccpsl.v30i4.8758
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