P-359 Evaluation of Exposure to Low Doses of Lead in the Circuit Board Manufacturing Industry

Introduction The toxicity of lead has been known since antiquity, and it has become clear that low levels of lead are likely to cause problems that are certainly less important but worrying. Objectives: To assess occupational exposure to lead in the electronic circuit board industry and describe the occupational and clinical characteristics of workers exposed to low doses of lead. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among workers of two electronic card manufacturing companies in Tunisia using a questionnaire. Results Fifty-two workers were exposed to lead. The mean age was 39.12 ± 8.7 years. Women account for 67% of the workforce. They were general workers in 90% of cases. Lead in air for company 1 ranged from non-detectable to 0.069 mg/m₃ and for company 2 the value was less than 0.01 mg/m₃. The blood lead levels of our employees varied between 10 and 75µg/l with a median of 16µg/l. At the digestive level, they reported anorexia (27%), weight loss (17%), abdominal colic (25%), and constipation (17%). Sleep disorders were found, such as frequent nocturnal awakenings (31%), insomnia upon awakening (25%), and insomnia upon falling asleep (23%). Employees had memory problems such as impaired ability to memorize a new fact (27%) and impaired ability to retrieve a memory (12%), mood disorders such as sadness (19%) and anxiety (25%) and behavioral disorders manifested by irritability (39%) and aggressiveness (19%). Discussion We highlighted exposure to low doses of lead in the electronic card sector. Conclusion Various symptoms were reported, highlighting the importance of strengthening preventive strategies.