THE Occupational Health Division under the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO), held a seminar last month to find ways to protect the health of workers exposed to high levels in lead in the workplace.

Senior officials from departments under the Ministry of Labour, Office of the Attorney General and Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), as well as officials from the lead-heavy battery industry, participated in the workshop held on August 29 at Parkroyal Hotel.

Participants drafted procedures to prevent lead poisoning among workers, provide compensation for lead-poisoned workers and improve environmental conditions in lead-related factories and businesses.

The procedures called on YCDC to develop more stringent guidelines for issuing licences to lead-related businesses and to produce special certificates to provide medical checkups for workers.

Suggestions also included creating standard operating procedures and a checklist for monitoring factories and businesses, which were also called on to meet the requirements of good manufacturing practices and take mitigation measures.

Participants at the seminar also suggested that old, inactive rules concerning the administration and monitoring of lead-related factories be reinstated.
Dr Soe Tint, the director of the Occupational Health Division, said lead poisoning is a growing problem in the country.

“Fifteen out 16 workers we tested at factories up to August had high amounts of lead in their blood,” he said.

“We also conducted a survey in collaboration with WHO at a glazed pottery shop in Shwebo in Sagaing Division last January, which showed that 82 out of 303 workers had lead poisoning,” he said.

Dr Khin Saw Yi, the deputy director of the toxico-vigilance and prevention of poisoning section of the division, said small and cottage industries that used lead were operating with less investment and fewer workers than bigger factories but posed a great danger to health.

“We see a lot of lead poisoned patients who work in the battery plate repair business, and children are also suffering because many of them are exposed to lead-related small and medium businesses environments,” she said.
“But the number of lead poisoned patients who seek treatment at hospitals might be just the tip of the iceberg,” she added.

Dr Khin Saw Yi said lead can enter into the body by inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption, and said symptoms of lead poisoning such as constipation, abdomen pain and fatigue tiredness were difficult to differentiate from other diseases.

She said owners of lead-related factories need to provide personal protective gear for workers.

“Our investigations at some factories also found that there was no separate place for workers to eat,” she said.

A senior official from YCDC’s Health Department said the department has been testing lead content in the urine of 10 to 15 workers every Monday and Wednesday at its laboratory since 2005.

“We tested the urine of 1243 workers from September 2005 to August 2007, and we found that 15 workers from battery-related businesses had heavy exposure to lead,” she said.