EU-OSHA Publishes New Guidance on Lead

New guidance published on April 9 by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) covers health surveillance and biological monitoring for workers exposed to lead and its inorganic compounds. The new publication is an annex to EU-OSHA’s existing guidance for occupational hygienists and others on setting up, managing, and using the results from biomonitoring programs for workplace chemical exposures. The annex reflects rule changes made in 2024 that lowered the European Union’s occupational exposure limit for lead and revised its biological limit value (BLV). The new guidance explains the updated regulatory requirements and recommends practices for monitoring lead in blood and conducting medical surveillance. Additional topics discussed in the new annex include work activities that may involve exposures to dust, fumes, or vapors containing lead; adverse health effects associated with lead exposure; and analytical methods for measuring lead in blood.

The rules published in the Official Journal of the European Union in 2024 lowered the EU’s OEL for lead from 0.15 mg/m3 to 0.03 mg/m3 as an eight-hour time-weighted average and revised the BLV for lead to 15 micrograms of lead per 100 milliliters of blood (15 µg Pb/100 ml), down from 70 µg Pb/100 ml. A BLV of 30 µg Pb/100 ml applies for a transitional period until Dec. 31, 2028, to allow time for stakeholders to implement risk management measures and adapt production processes.

EU-OSHA intends for the new guidance to be used by occupational health and hygiene professionals, doctors, employers, workers, and workers’ representatives. It is available for download from the agency’s website.